


The Silent Ranks

by DefSoling



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Marine Corps, Past Relationship(s), USMC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-08 08:42:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1934289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefSoling/pseuds/DefSoling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peeta and Katniss grew up in the same small town but it was Peeta who got out when he joined the United States Marine Corps.  It's three years later and Peeta returns when on a two week leave and runs into Katniss, a student still stuck in their small town waitressing to get through school.</p>
<p>A story of love, life, heartbreak, and happiness and a look into what it means to be a part of the Silent Ranks, the families of those who serve, who get left behind and sacrifice just as much as their loved ones in uniform.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I, in no way, own any of the Hunger Games characters or franchise. All credit for this goes to Suzanne Collins.
> 
> I am not in the military, but I feel a close connection to the armed forces. My only personal experience as an Army Brat is limited. My work will be flawed, my research rudimentary. But forgive my mistakes and try to follow me through this journey.

The Silent Ranks

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens.

But I am in the military in the ranks rarely seen.

I have no rank upon my shoulders, salutes I do not give.

But the military world is the place where I live.

 I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get.

But my husband is the one who does, this I cannot forget.

I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.

But my job is just as tough. I'm the one that's left behind.

 My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man,

And the call to serve his country, not all can understand.

Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.

My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.

 I love the man I married. Patriotism is his life.

But I stand among the silent ranks known as the military wife.

-Unknown Author

 

Prologue

I’m the One That’s Left Behind

 

They lived in their own little world, way out in the backwoods of America.  Their town was small, everyone knew of one another and nothing really stayed a secret for long unless you were determined to keep it that way.  Of course they were aware of the happenings of the world, they had social media and internet access too, but somehow it just seemed as if it didn’t touch them.  People seemed more inclined to read the local newspapers during their breakfast, the one that detailed local engagements announcements, talked about events being held in the town’s square, and the general happenings around town.

Some thought it was ideal, the way life should be. Delly Cartwright, for example, couldn’t ask for more.  She loved their small town, loved her friends and family, and loved the easygoing way of life. It comforted to know that her parents were middle school sweethearts, married right out of high school, and then took over the family business.  They had two kids and lived together happily in wedded, domestic bliss. And this was the story for many people in town.

To Peeta Mellark, it just seemed too _simple._   Peeta wanted adventure.  He looked at the little world around them, the closed off sphere they had created, and thought that there had to be more.  He studied the history of their country, learned about all the different cultures and attractions and dreamt about seeing them all.  School was easy to him and for a long while he thought that it was his only ticket out, which didn’t particularly thrill him considering that school was a form of torture for him despite his very natural ease.  But he was determined to get out, even if it meant he was going to have to trudge through his own personal torment to do it. In his mind, wasting away in his backwoods town was a worse fate.

However, a rebellious teenage act changed his life. He had a group of friends had skipped school one day and had driven out of town.  With carefully devised lies to their parents, they spent the whole day out at the beach.  They had stopped at lunch, going down the boardwalk along the beach to get to the restaurant. It had felt like fate when he had spotted the recruiting office there, seen the strong uniform clad man standing inside. Suddenly it was as if his whole life was coming together.

Of course, he didn’t tell anyone, and he did his research before he committed to the idea, but something inside him knew that this was what he was meant to do.  He would be a career man, one of those men who served their committed time and then enlist again, making it a twenty-year career.  He kept his plans to himself, going along with his mother’s plan for him by applying to different schools, including several Ivy League schools. His mother was overjoyed when he got accepted to all the schools he applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, and Yale and it was only a matter of time before it was in the local paper that he was a future Ivy Leaguer.  He didn’t tell anyone he was meeting with recruitment officers until he was sure and it seemed like a done deal.  He was graduating in a month’s time and had already turned eighteen.  By summer’s end he would be leaving their small town, but not to go to school but instead to go to South Carolina for boot camp instead. He kept it to himself, though, even as excitement and nervousness bubbled up in him in ways that was hard to contain. He knew he what reactions he was going to get.

He told Delly first, whom was already upset with him for “leaving to go to a big wig university when the local community college was just as good”.  He and Delly had a complicated relationship.  They had been best friends since before he could remember, next-door neighbors and parents who were close friends as well.  They coexisted easily, but it still made him wonder how it happened but the next thing he knew she was sneaking in through his window at night and taking her clothes off.  Of course, being teenage boy, he had given into her and the two quickly discovered a very different side of their friendship.  Soon it became apparent that they needed to talk about exactly where they stood. Delly made it clear that she was in love with him and he made it clear that he felt he couldn’t commit to her, his heart was not in it besides friendship.

What he didn’t say was that his heart was already taken.  Katniss Everdeen was a girl who lived in a world all her own and Peeta was helplessly in love with her. She lived in the outskirts of town with her parents and younger sister Prim.  Like with Delly, she took all the same classes as Peeta, going through their entire school career together.  However, despite Peeta’s natural charm and good looks making him one of the most popular and well-known boys in town, Katniss was oblivious to him. She kept to herself and her small group of friends and was a studious, determined girl.  She had the voice of an angel and a strong fire that burned inside her that just made her the most attractive girl he had ever seen. That strength inside her made him dumbstruck.

She struck him as someone who was meant for something more.  She deserved only the best in his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to be that man for her. But an aimless boy begrudgingly trudging through school was not going to make himself anything. He would live an unhappy meaningless life, and he didn’t want that.  But to truly make a difference in this world, to serve their country and make something of himself, now that might get him close enough to being good enough to deserve her.  If he could be something more, then he could look her in the eyes without feeling ashamed.

When he had told Delly, a week before graduation while they sat around a bonfire with friends, she hadn’t believed him. She had laughed at him, as if it was a stupid joke he was trying to pull.  She had really gotten a good laugh out of it, so much so that everyone around the fire had turned their attention to them and had demanded to be let in on the joke.  But as Delly calmed her laughing to tell them she noticed how seriously he sat next to her, his eyes betraying nothing much patience and sincerity and she knew. She caused quite a scene then, yelling at him angrily and telling him that he couldn’t be serious. He was going to get himself killed, she swore angrily, before stomping away and leaving some very confused and concerned friends behind to drill Peeta with questions.  He gave them nothing, wanting to tell his parents first before he told any more people.

She didn’t talk to him for a week, finally approaching him after the graduation commencements.  While students and parents and family alike mingled together outside the school in good spirits for congratulations, hugs and pictures, Delly sobbed into his graduation gown and begged him not to go. He had just hugged her back, wiped the tears from her face and promised that this wasn’t the end of the world. He wasn’t meant to be stuck in this little town forever and he needed to find himself.

“I’ll wait for you,” she whispered in between choked sobs, one of her hands combing through his thick blonde messy curls.

“No,” he said solemnly, “I don’t want you to wait for me.  You deserve more than that. Find a man who will love you and share your dreams.  You deserve to be happy,” he told her.

“But I’m happy with you,” she had gushed and he only shook his head and pulled her closer. 

“You won’t always be,” he knew and promised.

His parents, who had been watching the two teens from a distance in an attempt to give them privacy, had stared on in confusion. To them, to Mrs. Mellark especially, the two were a done deal.  They knew what kind of relationship the two had, how it extended past just friendship, and it was assumed that they would marry.  They had slight concerns, watching the teens hug each other and watching Delly. They were prepared for a lover’s spat, a few heartbroken teens that would make up in a few days. They weren’t prepared to be sat down later that night and be told their son was leaving to join the military.

Peeta’s mother had yelled and refused to believe it. Her boy had been accepted into three Ivy League schools, and had gotten full rides as well. It seemed inconceivable that he would throw it all away to go play in the desert.  The world was at war and more and more boys were being sent over seas to fight.  Peeta had a bright future ahead of him, she knew, but instead he was throwing it away, wasting this opportunity.

His brothers Bannock and Rye hadn’t faired the admission any better, though they handled it in a calmer manner. They had questioned him, asking why he couldn’t follow similar paths like them.  Bannock, ever the responsible older brother, had gone to a good, respected state school and then on to law school. Rye was still in school, getting duel degrees in business and culinary arts so that he could take over the bakery the family runs and then expand into a restaurant.  Peeta explained the best he could that he wanted more. They seemed confused that his “more” was the military, but tried to understand the best they could.

Peeta’s father, whom Peeta had always been close to, had cried and then hugged him tightly.  He didn’t yell, his didn’t express any disapproval. He only made him promise that he would try to be careful and stay strong.  The rest, he said, was in God’s hands and assured his son that he would be in every one of his prayers.

The summer was long and tension filled, his mother trying to continuously change his mind.  Peeta persisted, taking the time to train before boot camp and be more prepared. Peeta had chosen the Marine Corps, the branch in the military that happened to have the longest basic training but a very rich culture filled with prestige and long traditions. The Marines were the smallest branch in the military by numbers, but Peeta felt a particular kinship with them compared to the other branches.  He wanted to become one of the Few and Proud.

In the end, there wasn’t much fanfare when he left. His mother stood in the doorway outside the bakery with her arms crossed over her chest, a disapproving look on her face.  His brothers each gave him an awkward hug, never being close enough brothers to feel comfortable hugging one another.  Delly sobbed and cried, even if she would see him the longest since she insisted on driving him to the airport.  His father stayed strong, offering a too tight hug with glassy eyes but had the decency to wait until he was getting in the car to start crying and even then he turned away so Peeta couldn’t see.

Delly wiped her tears and tried to calm herself before she started the car.  Peeta glanced once more at his family, his father turned away from him and his mother having retreated away.  It was too hard to look at his father and his shaking shoulders so he looked away, staring out the windshield straight ahead.  His heart skipped a beat, however, when he spotted Katniss walking across the street.

She was with her little sister, whom was staring back at them in wonder but seemed too polite to ask.  Katniss however, was once again oblivious to them. She walked in a determined manner, eyes straightforward, and a cool expression on her face. He admired her long brown hair tied in a loose brain and tossed haphazardly over her shoulder. He admired the cool gray color of her eyes that he could just barely see from the distance and the olive color of her skin.  She was truly beautiful, he thought, and he tried to memorize the beauty of her, both inside and out, because he wasn’t sure if or when he would see her again.

Somehow it felt like a gift to Peeta, to see her one more time before he left, possibly for good.  He knew his chances with her were slim to none, he would not delude himself to thinking if he made something of himself she would suddenly see him.  She would move on with her life while he was away, the same as him.  If and when he came back, she would have someone to call her own already, probably Gale Hawthorne, her best friend who was obviously in love with her though it didn’t seem like she knew it.  But he would still fight to become someone worthy enough to look her in the eyes.

Seeing her renewed his spirits and he felt the courage to walk forward to his future.  With a calm strength and a determined mindset, he left the little closed off world he had always known to become a United States Marine.

Oorah


	2. Someone Else's Son

_It can’t always be someone else’s son_

 

Chapter 1

Someone Else’s Son

 

 

Three years later

Katniss cursed again as she missed the small bowl she had been ladling the hot soup into.  Most of it hit the counter while some of it hit her thumb, burning her skin instantly at the temperature.  The injured thumb was immediately popped into her mouth, nursing the now tender flesh and subsequently getting a taste of the rich of the creamy soup. She worked quickly to clean up her mess, nursing the tender flesh but not deeming it any worse for wear. More carefully this time she ladled a new spoonful of the soup into the bowl and set it down on the tray.

Katniss had been a waitress at this small restaurant since her senior year of high school, saving up money to put herself through school to the best of her ability.  Her parents helped with some of the costs and she got financial aid, which was a lifesaver, but she worked to ease the burden and pay bills. Her parents were modest people, who earned a modest living.  Her father was a peaceful man, a farm hand at the Undersee Ranch, the land owned by the town mayor. He worked hard for little pay considering the amount of work he does.  He was the sort of man who hated war and was passionate about getting our troops home. Her mother was a school nurse, a strong but sometimes frail woman.  Her sister Prim was still in high school but she was already shaping up to be the next Peeta Mellark, a kid too smart for their small town.

Everyone in town has heard of Peeta Mellark. He was a popular boy in Katniss’s class, and devilishly handsome.  He had been kind to her, the few times they interacted, but she never paid him any mind, too caught up in her issues and teenage path to self discovery to care about anyone else. He had gone on to some Ivy League school, gotten out of their small town.  Katniss had always been jealous of him because of that, but all things considered she couldn’t complain too much.  Sure, she wasn’t going to some big league school like Peeta, but she was getting her education, working, and soon would have a career as a teacher, majoring in English and minoring in dance so she could teach a dance class as well.

She never did hear what school he ended up picking, he had been accepted to so many good ones that she wasn’t sure how he was ever going to pick.  The family had clammed up soon after graduation, never giving the big announcement in the paper about his choice like everyone expected, especially after the announcement in the paper that was made just after his acceptance letters arrived in the mail. He just disappeared after the end of the summer and all anyone really knew was that he was happy and doing well. Well, that was all Katniss really knew. She didn’t often bothering to hear town gossip and never really cared enough to inquire about anyone. If there was any news about him, she never bothered to know it.

Peeta had been unattainable to her somehow, a popular, attractive boy that was too smart for their town, not to mention clearly taken by the blonde cheerleader Delly Cartwright.  She had always admired him, but from a distance and in a superficial sort of way.  Around high school was the time that she started to notice her best friend Gale looking at her in a different way.  She tried to ignore it, afraid that it would change their friendship if she acknowledged it. He forced her to finally acknowledge it her first semester at the community college, and the result had been a short disastrous relationship between them.  Katniss was the one who ended it, her feelings no deeper than a deep friendship for him.  It had taken time but the two were better now, no hard feelings between the two since Gale had gotten a new girlfriend, Madge Undersee, the mayor’s daughter.

Katniss balanced the tray with multiple soups out of the kitchen and into the dining room, maneuvering past different tables in the dining room to the larger tabled area along the wall where the hostess had pushed together two tables for a large party of people in the dinning room.  It had been Katniss’s “luck” to get them and it just so happened that the party included Mrs. Mellark, a notoriously difficult woman. Apparently the Mellark and Cartwright families were out to eat tonight, celebrating the second Mellark boy, Rye, graduating and getting his business and culinary degrees.

“Thank you so much, Katniss,” Delly said warmly as Katniss set her soup down in front of her.  Katniss gave a smile, trying not to be annoyed by the way the girl had been acting as if they were best friends since the moment they sat down just because they went to school together.

“My soup is cold,” Mrs. Mellark sneered at her before she could even get the next soup onto the table.

“I’m sorry, let me get you a new one,” Katniss said quietly, although knowing that the soup was far from cold as she had burnt herself trying to get it.  Still, she carefully took the soup back and set it on the tray before she finished handing out the soups to the rest of the table. 

She made her way back into the kitchen grumbling under her breath and stuck the still too hot soup into the microwave, watching it carefully so it didn’t boil over or make a huge mess. Rue, a sweet, kindhearted high school senior and her co-worker and friend, gave a sympathetic smile.  Mrs. Mellark was notorious for sending food back and just generally being uneasy to please.  Whenever the woman showed up the servers always prayed that she wouldn’t be seated in their section and everyone seemed to have a Mellark horror story. It was almost a rite of passage by now.

Katniss had to use her serving rags to protect her hands from the hot surface of the bowl and plate when she exited the kitchen, stopping by the bar to check on one of the drinks for another one of her patrons before she could head back to the table.  It was from there though, that she first caught sight of an individual in uniform at the door.  It surprised her; there weren’t many new people that came through their little town let alone those in the military.  What surprised her more, though, was she instantly recognized him as they approached her large party.

The party was oblivious to this approach, talking and laughing amongst themselves.  Katniss and other patrons around the restaurant watched as Peeta Mellark, the boy whom she had always assumed had gone off to some big Ivy League school, saddled right up to the party effortlessly, coming to a stop behind his father. He set the bag that he had been carrying in his left hand down gently and reached for his father.  The hand came up to rest on his father’s shoulder.

“What’s so funny?” he asked as his hand fully came to rest on his father and the reaction was instantaneous.

Delly screamed and she jumped up, seeming to be contemplating climbing directly over the table or going around. Going around was the logical answer and she wasted no time, though Mr. Mellark beat her and had already jumped up as well and pulled his son into a hug.  Peeta was all smiles, holding tightly to his father who seemed to be so overwhelmed by his joy at seeing his son that he was near tears. Delly bounced anxiously next to them, waiting her turn for a hug while his two brothers had come around as well, smiling and with almost identical looks of shock on their faces. Even Mrs. Mellark had a face that showed she was feeling something more than cool contempt.

“My boy is home.  I’m so happy you are home.  My baby boy,” Mr. Mellark was muttering and Peeta laughed.

“I’m home.  I’m safe,” he assured and seemed to tighten his hold on his father.

It took too long for Mr. Mellark to get himself together and release his son and as soon he was free Delly swooped in. She jumped into his unprepared arms and it seemed he only caught her by pure luck alone.  She cried and tried to pull him into a kiss, to which Peeta skillfully dodged by pulling her closer for a hug instead.  He looked around at his family from over her shoulder, making eye contact with his brothers and smiling.

He allowed Delly to cling to him for a few moments more, letting her blubber on and mutter in hysterical incoherency. Finally he detangled himself and stepped closer to his brothers, going to Rye first and seeming at a loss for a moment before the older blonde pulled him into a hug.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in wonder.

Peeta laughed.  “I heard through the grapevine that my brother had graduated. I’m sorry I missed the ceremony, I came here straight from the airport,” he told his brother as they released each other from the short hug.

“Don’t worry about that.  You came home for me; that’s amazing.  I don’t even care about the ceremony,” Rye assured the younger.

Bannock stepped up then and pulled his brother into an equally short hug.  He pulled back at arm's length to look his youngest brother up and down. “You look good,” he muttered at last but Peeta easily waved the comment off.

But it was true, Katniss noted, as she observed him while Mrs. Cartwright stood up with a happy smile to hug him too. Peeta had always been an attractive guy, but there was something about him now that just made him more attractive. His once soft and shiny blonde curls were gone and replaced with a nice and neat buzz cut. His skin had a nice healthy, sun kissed glow and the green and khaki service uniform looked perfect on him. His frame had changed, his shoulder broader and the short sleeved shirt showed the thick muscle in his arms. But even more, somehow he just looked happy, like he was truly comfortable in his own skin for the first time. Katniss had noticed it when they were younger, how he always just seemed so lost somehow. This new look, this strong military man thing he had going for him, it looked good on him.

Peeta made his way through greeting Delly’s little brother and father before he simply rested a hand on his mother’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.  They exchanged no hugs or happy greeting.  The touch was all they did before settling on opposite sides of the table.  Peeta sat next to his father, who was still happily near tears at his son’s return.  There was a minor scuffle over the chair to the other side of the uniform clad man, as it was originally Rye’s seat but Delly seemed determined to trade places with him. While they switched places and shuffled food around so that the proper soup was in front of the correct person, Katniss took the time to take the still too hot soup over to Mrs. Mellark.

“Be careful, the bowl is extremely hot,” she warned the woman as she set it down.  The woman said nothing, her once difficult mood having shifted since her son’s arrival to cool silence.

Katniss quickly gathered another set of rolled silverware and napkins, stepping forward and setting it in front of Peeta as he leaned close to his father to talk in whispered words.  Peeta seemed to jolt as she reached in front of him, pulling out her order book from her apron. 

“Your family already put in their food order but I can put a rush on yours and it should come out around the same time. Can I start you out with a drink?” she asked him, standing just over his shoulder.

He stared at her dumbly for a moment, just staring, and Katniss almost thought he just hadn’t heard her. She opened her mouth to repeat herself but he visibly shook himself out of his stupor and grabbed a menu from the center stand in the center of the table.  He read over it quickly, even though she knew the drinks hadn’t changed in nearly fifty years and everyone in town knew the menu forwards and backwards by the time they reached their teens.  He skimmed the menu for a moment, staring at the back page where the drinks were listed without really reading it, it seemed.

“I’ll have the blackberry lemonade,” he muttered at last, not looking up to meet her eyes.  He shuffled the menu back into the holder.

Katniss nodded and wrote down the order. “Do you have any idea what you would like for your meal or do you need a minute?” she asked, almost afraid of his answer.  She glanced around the table quickly to see both of this brothers watching him in amazement.

Peeta gave an almost defeated sigh before he reached forward and grabbed the menu again.  He flicked it open quickly, picking a random page.  “I’ll have the Mushroom Swiss Burger,” he said quickly and Katniss wondered if he really even read it before he picked it.

Katniss was writing down the order when his father slowly leaned over and put a hand over Peeta’s as he went to return the menu back to the center.  He looked at his son seriously and almost questioning.  “Son, I thought you absolutely hate mushrooms,” he told him evenly and speaking to him slowly as if he was still a little kid and not a twenty one year old man who had already served their country.

Katniss paused in her writing and looked to Peeta, who was staring at his father with blank look and parted lips. “Oh, yeah, right,” he muttered quietly.

She glanced around the table once more, watching as both brothers tried to smother their laughs and everyone else just stare at him in wonder with the exception of Mrs. Mellark who was quietly eating her soup (and having to blow on it with each bite, Katniss noted with satisfaction), seeming unaffected by everything around her.  She returned her attention to Peeta, who was now staring at the table and probably wishing it would just swallow him up judging by the look on his face.

“Would you like me to just take the mushrooms off?” she asked patiently in her kindest voice.  The mushrooms were the best part of the burger, though, so she didn’t really know how well that would come out.

Peeta just shook his head.  “No, no, that’s not necessary.  I’ll just have the Southern Smokehouse Burger instead,” he said quickly, shuffling the menu away at last.

“It comes with fries.  Is that okay or would you like to trade it out for another side?” she asked him as crossed out the order for the first burger and wrote the new order.

“Yeah, fries are good,” he said quickly, keeping his focus on the table.

Katniss nodded and assured him she would put the order in right away.  With the promise that she would be right back with his drink, she put her book away and started back towards the kitchen.

“That was smooth,” she heard Bannock say to his brother as she walked away and she couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips at the teasing.

“Oh god, don’t you dare make fun of me,” she heard Peeta lament as she finally stepped out of earshot and back into the kitchen.

Katniss didn’t spend much more time at the table for the rest of the evening.  The evening rush finally kicked in and Katniss was bouncing around from table to table for some time, trying to keep track of everything.  The Mellark party was surprisingly easy to handle, Mrs. Mellark seeming so subdued all of a sudden that she didn’t send back her food three times like she usually did, never saying any ill will to her and keeping quiet. The rest of the party were very pleased with their food and were easy to take care of.  Their easygoing attitude made her night so much easier, allowing her to evenly spread out her attention to all of her duties and each table. They were campers though, hanging out and talking well after they had stopped eating and Katniss had distributed boxes for left over food.  She didn’t mind though, she was having a pretty good night and earning good tips so she couldn’t find it in her to bothered by them taking up tables.

Darkness had fallen and the party was still there, laughing loudly compared to the emptying dining room as closing time approached. Katniss went about her closing duties, doing her side work so that she could get out there quickly. She and Rue were partners that night and Rue had volunteered to clean the dinning room up so Katniss was in the back cleaning and doing her part in closing down the kitchen for the night. She wiped some discarded fries off the stainless steel countertop between her and the cooks and into the garbage she had pushed up close.  With a final look around to see if she needed anything else she wrestled the garbage bag out of the can and tied it closed.

The backdoor liked to stick a little so she had to jam her shoulder into it to open it.  She always hated taking the garbage out at night because they only had one light back behind the restaurant and it flickered on a good day rather than shining brightly.  It was dim today, and flickered slightly as she dragged the heavy garbage bag to the dumpster. She jumped and let out a small squeak when he noticed someone leaning against the wall when turned to go back inside.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m really sorry,” Peeta said, raising his hands up to show her he meant no harm and tried to appear as nonthreatening as possible.

Katniss held a hand up over her heart, feeling the rapid beat.  She tried to breath deeply but she was still in a dimly light space with a virtual stranger. Even if he meant no harm, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  She edged closer to the door, opening it a crack with some effort and then pausing to look at him still leaning against the wall.

“What are you doing out here?” she questioned him somewhat harshly and almost immediately regretted the tone when his innocent looking face turned towards her. 

He glanced at her sheepishly and then he lifted his hand that had been hanging down limply by his side and she could see now a cigarette slowly smoldering.  He lifted it to his lips and took a long drag, holding the smoke in for a moment before turning his head away from her and leisurely blowing it out. She felt silly for a moment, but the display was memorizing.  His pink tongue came out to lick over his soft looking lips as soon as all the smoke had dissipated into the air.  Heat pooled in her stomach despite herself and she forced herself to look away.

He seemed very unaware of the effect he had on her. Instead he stared at the cigarette in his hand and then glanced at her quickly before smiling sheepishly. “My dad hates when people smoke. I didn’t want him to know I picked up the habit while in Afghanistan and they’re seated right by the window. I thought I would hide out back here where they wouldn’t see me and get my fix.”

Katniss nodded wordlessly, watching him as he took another drag.  He glanced at her as smoked, wordlessly offering her the cigarette when he removed it from his lips. She shook her head, refusing the cancer stick.

“I don’t smoke,” she muttered quietly to which he only nodded and took another drag.  She, like his father, would fall under the category of people who hated smoking. Her father, on the other hand, smokes cigars every night before bed, sitting out on the front porch no matter the weather.

She lingered, when she could have very easily gone back inside to go finish her work.  She could even be checking on her last table besides the party that had yet to cash out.  Conversation wasn’t flowing between them, but somehow it just seemed peaceful to stand outside in each other’s presence.  The summer air that had been thick and oppressing early that day had cooled as night set in and a pleasant cool breeze drifted between them and lifted the wafting smoke in intricate swirls.  Katniss stayed and watched it, felt it, and enjoyed this moment of peace between them.

“Sorry for being so awkward and weird earlier,” Peeta finally said after several long minutes of silence between them. His cigarette was almost gone now, nearly burnt down to the filter.

Katniss waved him off, though she had wondered about his strange antics though she didn’t question it too deeply. She dealt with strange people day in and day out.  For such a small town, they had a large number of _characters_. “Don’t worry about it,” she muttered with a wave of the hand.

Even in the dim flickering light she could see his face flush slightly.  He busied himself with shuffling his black shoes, focusing on kicking a stray rock than looking at her.  “I had the biggest crush on you in high school and I guess I just wasn’t prepared for you to just be standing there and talking to me.  I feel really stupid for acting like such an idiot.  I guess spending so much time in the desert made me lose all social graces,” he said, laughing at himself in a self-deprecating manner.

Katniss tried to keep the surprise off her face but she knew she failed miserably when he glanced up at her.  She hadn’t even known he knew she existed during high school, let alone had a crush on her.  She tried to wrap her mind around this, trying to dig up memories to somehow support this claim. However, all she could drudge up were memories of her watching him and Delly together, which reminded her of Delly’s reaction to seeing him today.

“I thought you and Delly were together,” she muttered at last.

Peeta shook his head, somehow pulling himself out of his embarrassment.  He looked her directly in the eyes for what seemed like the first time, staring evenly into her gray eyes.  She stood frozen for a moment, wondering how someone could have such beautiful blue eyes. With all of his attractive traits and qualities, Katniss concluded quickly as she studied the bright clear orbs that were staring back at her, his eyes were easily the most attractive thing about him.  They were clear, expressive and honest.  She had never seen eyes like his.

He chewed on his lip.  “Delly and I are complicated.  We were never a thing . . .” he trailed off and she felt herself rolling her eyes in response.

“But you were sort of a thing, right, because you were sleeping with each other,” she finished for him, mentally scolding him for being so clueless.  Men were a strange species.

Peeta sighed and rubbed a hand over his neatly cut hair. “Yeah, I guess. Apparently everyone knew about that,” he said in a more easygoing tone, as if he was getting more comfortable in her presence.

Katniss snickered.  “It’s a small town, nothing really stays secret for long. Plus, Delly had told all her little friends the very next day, giving very intimate details mind you, and those little monsters were quick to tell everyone.  I knew by the end of school that day and I was virtually invisible in that school,” she told him, feeling at ease with him as well.

Peeta groaned dramatically, a small smirk on his face. “Those bitches,” he sneered jokingly and Katniss couldn’t stifle the small laugh.  Peeta smiled brightly at the sound.

“You know, you weren’t invisible,” he added after a moment and she looked at him inquisitively.  “Like you said, this is a small town.  Everyone knew everyone.  You may not have interacted with everyone, but everyone knew who you were. We are all waiting for Gale to finally tell you that he loved you.”

It was Katniss’s turn to groan. “Everyone knew about that?” Peeta only nodded, a smirk on his face that told her “yes, pretty much.”

“That every happen?  He ever tell you?” he asked after a moment and then took a final drag on his cigarette before he stubbed it out.  Almost immediately he reached in his pocket for the pack, but he didn’t pull one out right away.  Instead he fiddled with it, opening and closing the top but never actually getting one out.

Katniss sighed and let go of the door she had been propping open ever so slightly when she had thought he was a threat. She rubbed at her forehead, exhausted by the thought of the tumultuous relationship she and Gale had. When she had tried to end it things had spiraled out and it took a long time for them to get back on even footing. Gale even had a girlfriend now Katniss couldn’t help but wonder if her best friend still loved her. His feelings for Madge seemed shallow to her but she didn’t dare bring it up in fear that he would confirm her fears that he still loved her.

“He did.  We had a brief relationship right out of high school, but it was doomed from the start. We weren’t on the same page.”

He seemed to be studying her for a moment, a little too deeply for casual strangers in her opinion.  She quickly stepped closer and nudged him gently, feeling a spark shoot up her hand when she touched him but she ignored it.

“What about you?” she asked, gesturing towards the building behind them.  “That girl in there is clearly in love with you.  You may say that you aren’t “a thing”, as you so delicately stated, but does she know that?  She was just a little bit too excited for just a close friend.”

Peeta sighed again and actually did reach for a cigarette this time.  He held it between his lips and lit up with a lighter.  Katniss’s eyes lingered over the eagle, globe, and anchor insignia etched into the silver edge of the lighter, a few words etched underneath the emblem, “U.S. MARINES”, it said proudly. Katniss waited for him to get his thoughts together, watching him take that first deep drag from the end of the cigarette.  He seemed to enjoy the bitterness of the nicotine, already looking more at ease now that he had another fix.

“I broke it off before I left, told her not to wait for me.  I had hoped that she would move on in the three years I was gone, especially since I never looked back after basic training, never came back home even if I had leave. She apparently didn’t move on like I hoped, because instead she’s having a family dinner with my family.” He sighed heavily.

Katniss nodded.  “Truth be told, I sort of always figured you two were still together because she’s always around your family.  I think you’re in trouble here,” she teased him and he shook his head.

“The Marines taught me a lot of thing about life and how to do this and that, but they hadn’t taught me how to deal with this. They didn’t have a course on ex-lovers who won’t actually consider themselves an ex,” he lamented.

Katniss shook her head.  “You poor thing,” she mocked and he laughed before they fell into a comfortable silence. 

She looked up at the night sky, picking out stars through the few clouds that slowly drifted around it the sky. Peeta smoked his cigarette down, providing steady warmth at her side.  Her arm was nearly brushing his bare arm and she glanced down quickly to note his muscled forearm next to her slight one.  She studied his arm for a moment, gathering her thoughts and letting herself get lost in the moment if only this once.

“Why did you join the Marines, if you don’t mind me asking.  I know you got into some good schools,” she asked softly into the otherwise silent air.

He was quiet for a moment and she was almost afraid that she had somehow crossed a line.  She glanced up at him and watched as he slowly turned his head to look at her. His expression was utterly sincere with a passionate look in his eyes.  He blinked at her once, then twice, before he offered a small smile.

“I was good at school but I hated it. I wasn’t going to be happy doing that. I wanted do something bigger.” He paused and she thought he was done for a moment as he had looked away and fallen silent.  But then he refocused and she had never seen such a more intense look than in that moment.  “And it can’t always be someone else’s son,” he finished at last in a tone that equaled his expression in power.

Katniss stared at him mystified for a moment, knowing there was truth to his words but realizing the meaning for the first time. It hit her then, how brave and selfless the Marines Corps, or any other military branch was for that manner, were to be able to put their lives on the line.  They were regular people like her, sons and daughters, sister and brothers, mothers and father.  But they had committed themselves to a job that only the strong are able to do. It was a very eye opening moment for Katniss who had unknowingly been turning a blind eye to the rest of the world like the rest of the town was so fond of doing.  She could see now that she had been selfish and self absorbed. She had a brand new respect for the people in uniform.

She stepped closer to him subconsciously, her arm meeting his instead of the light touch that might of happened before, leaning into him slightly.  Her mouth parted even though she had no words to express how she was feeling, but somehow she had a feeling he knew.  His large, warm, calloused hand brushed hesitantly over hers, as if silently asking for permission. She granted it, her pinky sliding over his before she felt his hand moving to fully clasp hers.

And then the back door banged open nosily and Katniss jolted away from him, whipping around quickly to find Rue braced against the door.  She looked between them and faltered, going as far as to take a step back as if to slowly retreat from them before she stopped herself.  She had already interrupted whatever moment they had been having; slowly backing away wasn’t going to erase that or make this any less awkward. Instead she gave an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I was looking for you. Your last table wants to cash out and I had already checked out and handed in my money to Sae so I can’t do it for them.”  Everything about her posture reeked of remorse.

Katniss smiled and risked a glance at Peeta, who was calmly puffing away on his cigarette, before she nodded and gave a small smile. “Thanks, Rue.”

Rue nodded and stepped back before she stopped again. She looked at Peeta. “I think your family is looking for you. They were getting their stuff together and stopped when they noticed you hadn’t returned yet. Your brothers are worried you fell in the toilet or something.”

Peeta laughed easily, laughing off any awkward tension between them.  He nodded his head to Rue and flashed her a bright smile.  “Thanks. I better walk around before they leave me,” he joked.

“Cut through the kitchen,” Katniss said quickly without thinking. 

Guests were not allowed in the back for safety reasons but Katniss doubted anyone would know.  The cooks weren’t in eyesight of the backdoor and they wouldn’t dare rat her out.  And at this time of night all the other waiter and waitresses had already left except for the closing pair, Rue and Katniss, and the bartender but the bartender rarely left the actual bar unless to grab food for their tables.  Not the mention their boss liked to do inventory before she leaves and would be in the freezer with a clipboard or with the cooks.  It was a straight shot out to the dining room.  No one would know.

Peeta hesitated.  “Isn’t that frowned upon?”

Katniss shrugged her shoulders. “If we get caught I’ll just blame you. You’re a big, strong Marine now. You could just flex those muscles and overpower me,” she joked.  Rue stayed silent during the exchange, watching them as they grinned easily with each other and joked.

“If we get caught I will take full blame. I’ll tell them _I_ was the helpless against _you_. You were too beautiful, I simply had to follow you away from the gross dumpster.  You didn’t even know I was there,” he joked.

Katniss laughed and stepped closer to Rue and the door, opening it fully to allow them access inside the building. Rue stepped back and glanced to make sure the coast was clear for them.  Peeta stubbed out his cigarette quickly and entered with them, pulling the door closed securely behind them.  It was a short distance to one of the kitchen entrances and the three of them quietly made their way there, Peeta quietly muttering about how it was his first day of leave and already he was on a covert mission.

Peeta stopped at the edge of the kitchen and stood at attention for a moment before he gave a stiff salute. Katniss smiled at him as he relaxed and gave a bright smile. 

“Goodnight, ladies.  I’ll see you around,” he told then before fully entering the dinning room to rejoin his family.  Katniss watched him go before she went over to the computer and swiped her card so that she could print out her last table’s receipt.  Rue shadowed right behind her, leaning into the counter next to her and staring at her suspiciously.

“I didn’t know you like military, tough guys,” she stated.

Katniss rolled her eyes.  “We just knew each other from high school. We were catching up,” she explained, but she never was a convincing lying and the lie fell flat even to her ears.

But Rue chose not to comment on it, instead raising an eyebrow at him and shaking her head.  “Sorry I interrupted your moment,” she called as she started to walk away, going back to grab a tray so she could clear the last of the dishes from the party’s table easier.

“You didn’t,” Katniss answered back at reflex but she knew she was lying.  There had definitely been a moment of some kind.

 


	3. The Brave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need opinions: public display of affection with grand gesture or private intimate display of affection? Opinions?

_America, Home of the Free because of the Brave_

 

Chapter 2

The Brave

  

Katniss was in the middle of grumbling under her breath about a lack of sleep when Peeta reentered the restaurant, looking around and immediately spotting her.  He had taken a risk, coming in so early in the day but he had hoped that she would be there.  As luck would have it, she was working that morning, much to her displeasure.  If it was one thing she hated about closing Tuesday nights was when she had to wake up early to open on Wednesday morning. The schedule always seemed to work out this way, much to Katniss’s annoyance. 

It was early so Katniss didn’t have any tables yet so she had been helping the bartender, a sometimes prissy but otherwise kind, if not sometimes overly blunt, woman named Cashmere that Katniss had really grown to like, prep and stock the bar for the day.  Katniss was serving in the lounge area today, a small area sitting on a raised platform around the bar with tables and a few booths that was more relaxed and a seat-yourself sort of area in the restaurant.  Katniss was a strong waitress, one of their best, so management liked to give her the lounge area more often than not.  It was faster paced than the dinning room and being so close to the bar you get a different sort of people who like to frequent the lounge compared to the family dining area.  Plus, Katniss had her regulars who tipped her well and she tended to make more money than in the dining room.

Her sour mood did shift when she noticed Peeta come through the front doors and make eye contact with her almost immediately. The young hostess staffed that morning greeted him kindly and tried to steer him towards the dining room. Katniss inwardly cursed the young teen, a snotty junior at the local high school who liked to think she was the shit because she was high up in the social hierarchy of their small school. The girl was boy crazy and always tried to steer any cute guys in town into the dining room so she could walk by a thousand times since she rarely ventured into the lounge area as it was all seat yourself and didn't require her.

She felt stupid for a moment, however, for feeling so aggravated by this girl.  It wasn’t as if Peeta was hers, or that she even knew him that well. She had a nice conversation with the man once and that was it.  She shouldn’t be feeling the way she was.  Katniss wasn’t this kind of girl; she wasn’t the kind of girl to get crazy over a guy. She had only been with two guys; Gale, in which the whole relationship had felt strange and stilted to her, and a friend of Gale’s from work named Seneca Crane, whom she had drunkenly slept with and then regretted every moment of it (and which Gale had refused to look at her for a month after he found out since it wasn’t too long after their breakup).  In both cases it just sort of happened after the boys had pursued her and she had just accepted it after some questionable judgment.  She never felt any sort of interest in them beforehand, never wanted them to come over and talk to her like she was feeling with Peeta now.  It made her feel silly and stupid for feeling this way after a small conversation and a maybe moment.

But then she still felt a moment of relief and something akin to happiness and maybe even triumph when she watched Peeta gesture to her standing behind the bar with Cashmere.  The host deflated and looked over to sneer at her before she mumbled something to Peeta with barely disguised distaste. Peeta didn’t seem to notice, and if he did he didn’t show that he cared, as he nodded his head to the girl and started towards them.  Katniss felt nervousness bubble in her stomach, not really knowing how to speak with him.

Cashmere nudged her to get out from behind the bar. “He’s not coming over here for me. Take him to a table,” she muttered to her quietly and Katniss nodded and awkwardly made her way out from behind the bar, coming to greet him where he was standing by the base of the steps up into the lounge.

“Hey,” she muttered, feeling self-conscious and stupid as she offered a weak wave to go with her greeting.

He gave a bright, sexy smirk to her, assaulting her already unstable nerves with just how good looking he was. He had traded his uniform in for regular clothes today, wearing a plain gray t-shirt that fit him snuggly over his muscled arms and chest and a pair of simple fitted blue jeans. He had a pair of sunglasses hanging from the collar of his t-shirt, the chain of his dog tags disappearing under his shirt as well, and that smirk that was driving her crazy. Altogether, he looked really good and she felt even more self conscious about her black polo and jeans, the restaurant uniform, and her simple braid and face devoid of makeup.

If he noticed her awkwardness, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he offered his own little wave. “Hey,” he greeted back casually.

“You dining in?” she questioned and then had to physically stop herself from cringing at her own idiocy.  Why else would he come to a restaurant?

“Yeah, I thought I would hang out a bit and eat. I needed to get out of my house,” he told her while she tried to get a better grip on the situation.

She gestured for him to follow her, feeling ridiculous for standing there at the steps.  She led him over to the booth in the corner of the lounge, only one of four in the entire lounge and one of the first tables to get filled up. He seated himself so that he was facing the wall, facing away from anyone else who might enter the lounge. She leaned against the table, pulling out her order book and pen but really just doing that to busy her hands rather than to get him started with his meal.

“Why?  I thought you would want to spend all your time with your family,” she questioned.

Peeta sighed and leaned forward to fold his hands on the table.  “I love my family, I do. My relationship with my brothers has never been better and of course I’ve always been close to my Dad. I love my mom but she is a handful to deal with. Plus, Delly came over bright and early to have a family breakfast with us.  She was wearing a t-shirt that said, “Don’t mess with me. My boyfriend is a United States Marine.” You can imagine how I felt seeing that,” he told her.

She winced and then slid into the seat across from him without thinking, making herself comfortable for their conversation. “Yikes.  What did you do?” she asked.

Peeta shrugged.  “Did the only thing I could do.  I had to sit her down and set the record straight.  There was yelling and tears and then my mother got involved, since she apparently had already been secretly planning our wedding or something, and started yelling too.  My brothers tried to stay out of it and ended up stealing some pancakes and running for the hills. My dad tried to mediate but that didn’t really help.  It was a mess.” He looked exhausted even talking about it.

Katniss reached out to comfort him, reaching out to cover his hand with her own.  She stopped short, though, wondering if it was appropriate.  She wasn’t usually the one to reach out to people, and she didn’t particularly like when people touched her without her permission, so she wasn’t sure what to do in this situation.  Normal people, casual friends, would try to comfort one another by touching them, right?  Or was that too intimate?  Was that reserved for people who liked each other?  She withdrew her hand, too unsure to make the move.

Peeta stared at her for moment, obviously having not missed her little flub.  She looked away from him, tucking a stray hair behind her ear and trying not to spontaneously bust in embarrassment.  The pause between them seemed to last forever, Peeta just studying her too intensely, before he cleared his throat.  She risked a glance at him, seeing him lean back in his seat and running a hand over his neatly cut hair.

“It only got worse when I pointed out that we had been broken up for three years and I have since been with other women,” he told her, shaking his head and seemingly moving on without pointing out her awkwardness.

Uneasiness churned in her stomach at hearing about his sexual history.  Logically, she knew it made sense.  He was an attractive man and a single one at that.  Plus, he was charming too and a military man, which had its own appeal. Any woman would want him and it wasn’t like he was going to save himself for a girl he had broken up with back home (or a crush he had on another girl back home for that matter, either). Still, the thought of him with someone, anyone, made her stomach churn in unease.

“I would imagine that would freak them out. I mean, you must be a popular guy. I bet Delly was in hysterics,” she muttered at last, choking down the bubbles of discomfort.

She could almost picture the blonde freaking out. In school Delly had been known for being too emotional and bursting into tears over the littlest of things. Katniss had always been pretty annoyed by the too emotional girl but part of her felt badly for her now. She was obviously in love with Peeta and had been, under a false impression, operating under the mindset that she and Peeta were still meant to be, were still together.  However, she couldn’t completely say she really was sympathetic to the girl.  In an mean spirited part of Katniss, a part that may or not be jealous of her relationship (or rather past relationship) with Peeta, couldn’t help but wish she had been there to see Delly freak out.  It would be almost humorous in a mean sort of way, but Katniss wasn’t even going to pretend that she was a little compassionate angel.

Peeta arched a brow at her.  “A popular guy?  I’ve only been with two women since Delly, landing me at a grand total of three. I would hardly call that popular.”

Katniss leaned forward in surprise. “Only two?  Seriously?”

Peeta laughed and smiled brightly at her. “Why are you so surprised? Is there something about me that just oozes sex appeal?” he joked.

Katniss couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up when he struck a mocking pose, lifting his arm to flex his muscles and giving her a small smug little smile.  He wiggled her brows at her and she had to put a stop to this before she broke down in laughter. 

She put her hand up to stop him, keeping her words and posture light.  “Stop. Don’t let this get to your head. I can’t have you walking out of here thinking you’re the shit or something.”

He laughed and dropped the pose, leaning forward again and resting his hands on the table.  “Fine, but you have to tell me if I strike you as the kind of guy to go around all full of himself because of his sex life.”

Katniss shook her head slowly. “No, you seem too humble for that. But I could see you having a few notches on your belt,” she said simply, hoping he wouldn’t ask her for more. She really didn’t want to get into how attractive she found him.

Luckily he didn’t, shaking his head and seeming a bit more serious.  “Nah, only three counting Delly.  I dated a good friend of mine, Johanna.  She’s the sister of a Marine buddy of mine so we got close but we soon found out that we didn’t feel that way about each other.  After her was a tag chaser, Glimmer, her name was.  In hindsight, with a name like that and the way she acted with me, I should have known better,” he said simply.

“What’s a tag chaser?” Katniss quickly asked, feeling like she was missing something.  She also couldn’t help but notice that the girl had a stripper name. She imagined her as an airy, superficial blonde.

“Someone who only likes a person just because they are in the military.  Glimmer only really liked me because I wore a uniform.  She was always asking for a pair of my dog tags, which I hadn’t been comfortable giving her, and she even kept saying that we should get married so she could live on base.  We dated for about three months, max, in which I foolishly tried to make it work.”

Katniss quirked a brow.  “Are you serious?  She wanted to get married after three months?”

Peeta nodded.  “Yup, I sort of had to end it when the marriage thing kept coming up and I couldn’t get her to understand that it wasn’t going to happen any time soon. Honestly, the dog tag thing bugged me more.”

“Why?” Katniss said, taking a moment to glance at the door as voices filtered up towards them.  People had entered the restaurant and she held her breath and prayed that they wouldn’t come up into the lounge.  As much as she wanted to make money, her conversation felt too good at the moment and she didn’t want to get up and leave Peeta. Thankfully they went into the dining room instead.

Her attention was back on Peeta as he fished his dog tags out from under his shirt.  He leaned forward and turned it towards her, showing her the words pressed into the medal.  Katniss leaned forward as well, trying to make out exactly what everything said. She could make out his last name on the first line.  The second line had his initials for his first and middle name, P. M., and his blood type, AB Neg. The third line was a set of numbers and it took a moment for Katniss to realize this was his social security number. The fourth line had his military branch, USMC, and a single letter, M, that Katniss had to ask what it represented (“My gas mask size,” he told her).  The final line had his religion preference.

Peeta fiddled with the metal tags in his hands, letting them clank noisily against one another.  His face was set in serious expression, his thoughts seeming to be somewhere for a moment before he looked refocused on her. 

“If I die while in combat, this is how they would identify me.  These short few words is a small summary of who I am, all the information the government needs to tell them who I am.  It’s my very identity. When I give myself to someone, when I finally hand over a pair of my dog tags, it will be because I trust the person completely and I want them to have me,” he told her sincerely.

Katniss marveled at him, his bright blue eyes pinning her in place.  She had never met a man like him, she knew, who was equal parts sweet and charming, and also brave and passionate about the things he believed in.  He believed in his country, believed in the work he was doing. But he also believed in love, in giving yourself fully to someone without hesitation or fear of getting hurt. He wasn’t the kind of guy to do anything half-heartedly; she knew this from just her few conversations with him. He leapt without fear, charged forward without looking back and committed himself wholeheartedly. She envied him for his strength.

“How do you it?” she asked without really thinking about it, catching even herself by surprise.

He raised a brow.  “Do what?  Serve my country?”

She shook her head slowly, still staring at him and feeling like she was looking into the face of something great and unknown. “How you have so much strength to just leap?  I’m constantly plagued by my fear of the unknown.  I’m afraid to say yes, afraid to say no.  I’m afraid of making a decision or afraid to step out of my comfort zone. How do you do it?”

He leaned back and gave her an odd look, as if he was trying to figure out a complex puzzle.  He bit his lip and his tongue slowly peaked out to wet the pink flesh before he recaptured it between his teeth.  He tilted his head to the side, contemplatively.  Finally he just leaned forward and shrugged, opening his mouth but not speaking right away and instead gathering his thoughts.

“I just have to leap.  Life is too short.  I could die any moment, take my last breath, and I don’t want to waste my life hesitating and being afraid.  I was afraid too much as a child.  As a Marine, there is no room for fear to get in the way.  That’s true bravery, to be able to feel fear and acknowledge it, but not let it get in your way.”

Katniss settled herself deeply against the back cushion of the booth.  She took a deep breath, feeling once again like she was facing something more than a simple conversation.  Somehow she felt that something bigger was happening, and it deeply unsettled her. She was afraid and she didn’t know what to do.

“But what if I’m not brave?  What if I’m not capable of being brave?” she practically whispered to the handsome blonde man across from her.

Without hesitation, he reached forward and grabbed her hand, clasping it firmly in his larger one.  Her eyes locked with his and he stared at her almost too intensely. “Everyone can be brave. You just take a deep breath, open your eyes and charge forward.”

They gazed at one another for a long moment, and with how simply earnest he was, Katniss found it hard to doubt him. She nodded slowly and gave him a hesitant smile.   He wouldn’t lead her astray.

“Maybe you’re right.  Maybe I need to take the leap,” she muttered, lost in his gaze.

He gave her a small smile.  “Maybe,” he muttered.

They shared their moment together for several long beats afterwards before Katniss remembered where they were. She had to physically shake herself out of her stupor, breaking them both from the serious and somewhat odd conversation they had been having.  She glanced around the room in time to see two of her regulars, Cray and Darius, enter the restaurant and completely bypass the hostess and head over to booth next to theirs.  Cray leaned in close, leering suggestively at Katniss, something she was used to by now.

“Hey, sweetheart, two beers over here, on the double,” he demanded with his usual smug smile.

Katniss rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, I got it, Cray,” she deadpanned, gathering up her order book so that she could actually get to work.

Cray laughed and then looked away from her, noticing for the first time Peeta sitting there.  Peeta had twisted in his seat to face the man as soon as he had invaded their space and spoken.  Peeta’s face was carefully blank but his shoulder’s were tensed ever so slightly. Cray didn’t seem to notice though and smirked smugly at the handsome blonde.

“Well if it isn’t soldier boy. I’ve been hearing that you came home. Everyone is talking about you,” he drawled out.

“I’m not a soldier.  I’m a Marine,” was Peeta’s only reply.

The older man waved a hand and rolled his eyes. “Same thing.”

Peeta shook his head.  “No, it’s not.  Marines take offense to that.  A sailor is in the Navy, an airman is in the Air Force, and a soldier is in the Army. A Marine is a Marine.”

Cray stared at him, feeling the challenge in Peeta’s words.  His eyes narrowed and he squared his shoulders, which Peeta seemed unaffected by. Darius, however, quickly stepped in and pushed Cray back, pushing him into the seat farthest from Peeta and then leaning over and giving a forced smile.

“How long you here for?  I heard you just got back from Afghanistan. You staying around awhile or do you gotta rush back?”

Katniss quickly looked to Peeta, suddenly very interested in his answer.  She hadn’t even considered that he would only be here for a short while. 

“I didn’t just get back, but I’ve only been back in the states for a bit, only long enough to do my post-deployment check-ins. Finally got clearance for a two-week leave.  I’ll be going back on the seventh,” he told Darius.

The news upset her, though she tried not to show it. The seventh was still a good number of days away, Peeta had only been here for a day after all, but still it felt too soon.  Katniss enjoyed Peeta’s presence and she felt like she could just talk to him forever. Two weeks was too short but she also felt silly for feeling like this.  Again she can’t help but feel the ridiculousness of her feelings. She didn’t own Peeta; she didn’t have a claim to him.  She wasn’t the sort of girl to feel disheartened by the actions of a boy but she still couldn’t help but be upset.

“Sweetheart, my beer,” Cray called, now grumpy from the unresolved tension between him and Peeta.  At Cray’s demand and tone, Peeta snapped a sharp look towards the man but turned away when Katniss stood up.

“Yeah, I got it,” she repeated before she looked at Peeta.  “I already know what they want so let me put in their order and then I can get you started as well. If I don’t, they will never shut up,” said with a roll of the eyes, which resulted in a chuckle from the other booth. Darius gave a goofy smile while Cray ignored the comment, though she knew she could have laughed had be been in a better mood.

“Yeah, do what you have to do,” Peeta muttered, staring forward at the wall, determined not to look back at Cray any longer.

Katniss quickly went and put in the orders, stopping by the bar and catching up with Cashmere quickly while the bartender poured the drinks for Katniss’s regulars.  Cashmere didn’t say anything about the intimate looking conversation she and Peeta had been having, but the suggestive look in her eyes said enough. Katniss ignored it and quickly took the beers to Cray and Darius as soon as they were poured, escaping from the blonde bartender’s knowing gaze.

Katniss returned to a still tense looking Peeta and quickly broke the ice by teasing him lightly about his flubbed order yesterday. They chatted easily while she took down his order and she was able to get him to relax once more, but soon after the lunchtime rush started coming in and she had to leave him to tend to her other guests.  Peeta ate quietly and kept to himself, ignoring the curious looks of everyone that stared at him like he was sideshow rather than a simple Marine, or even more generally speaking a man simply eating his lunch.  Katniss kept checking in as often as possible, but she could never linger for too long.

Peeta stayed through much of the lunch rush, even after he had finished eating and was basically just relaxing and camping out in his booth.  She noticed him getting up just when she was starting to catch her breath, still too busy to be considered starting her side work so she could be ready when her relief showed up but now officially over the lunch rush.  She was standing at a different table when she saw him start getting up and she observed him from the corner of her eyes to make sure he wasn’t just going to the bathroom.  When he pulled out his wallet, however, Katniss knew and tried to get away from the table as soon as possible, trying to politely excuse herself without cutting them off.

She quickly rushed over to where Peeta still stood by the table, hovering while he messed with his phone.  He flashed her a bright smile, quickly putting his phone away when she joined him, still balancing some dirty dishes in her hands instead of going to the dish room to drop the dishes off.

“You heading out?” she asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, I have to face the music eventually. I have to go home and face a different kind of war zone,” he told her, a clear reluctance but wary acceptance weighing down his body.

She shifted her weight uneasily. “Good luck with that. You have to tell me how it all turns out,” she muttered and he nodded.

“Are you working tomorrow?”

“Yeah, in the morning again,” she told him.

He smiled again.  “I might stop in again.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest and she couldn’t help the little smirk that her lips quirked into.  “I’d like that,” she muttered quietly, a blush rising to her cheeks without her control.

Peeta reached out and lightly touched her arm, sending her fluttering heart into overdrive.  “I’ll see you later,” he told her and then slowly turned away from her. She watched him go and she gave a final wave when he turned back to look at her before he left for good. He waved back and then left.

She tried to get through the rest of the day without missing a certain blonde that had brightened her shift.

The waitress scheduled to come in and relieve her came in at three and Katniss was able to wrap up and make it home by four fifteen. Her mother and sister were both home when she arrived, Prim sitting at the table going through her yearbook while her mother cooked a simple meal.  Her father would be getting home soon, usually home by four thirty most nights. Katniss sat down with her sister, penning out ideas for her valedictorian speech.  It was Prim’s senior year and she only had a week left of school before she was let out.  Katniss herself had finished up her latest semester a couple weeks before, allowing her time off for the summer to work but also just have some free time.

Her father came home when Prim and Katniss were shuffling the items on the table together so that they could set the table for dinner.  They always made an effort to eat together as a family, something she knew most families now did on rare occasions.  Her father came in and quickly cleaned up after his long day a work before rejoining them at the table where her mother was just setting down the main dish in the center of the table.

They were an odd looking sort of family. Katniss had taken after her father with the same dark hair and olive skin tone.  They shared the same gray eyes, and Katniss could confidently say that the only thing she had gotten from her mother was some of the more feminine features on her face and the slight curves and small breasts. Prim, on the other hand, was a little carbon copy of their mother, with light blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin. She got their mother’s short gene, slight frame, but all of her beauty as well.

Their mother greeted their father with a chaste kiss, ones she reserved for her husband for when she was in front of their children because she knew they felt uncomfortable seeing them give into their more passionate kisses.  “How was your day, honey?” she asked.

“It was good.  We got a lot done today even with all the chatter happening today,” he told her, taking his seat at the head of the table and reaching forward to grab a healthy serving of the casserole their mother had prepared.

“Chatter?” their mother asked whilst she set down the tea jug and sat down in her own seat across from her husband.

“Everyone was talking about the Mellark boy coming home.  He joined the Army or something,” Mr. Everdeen said and it took everything in Katniss not to correct him. She remembered distinctly seeing how defensive Peeta had gotten when Cray had called him a soldier.

Prim made an excited sound of agreement into her cup that she had been drinking from.  She quickly swallowed the sip and set down the cup, smiling excited. “That’s all anyone in school could talk about today.  Mary saw him on the street getting out of the taxi yesterday and said he looked really handsome in his uniform.”

“You never mind what he looked like,” their father quickly but lightly scolded.

Prim rolled her eyes at her father, taking a forkful of salad and holding it up by her mouth but not taking the bite right away. “Daddy, I’m not a little girl anymore. I’ll be going to college soon. I’m going to meet boys soon and then I’m going to start dating,” she gently reminded and then finally took her bite.

Katniss quietly ate her food, choosing not to mention that Prim and Rory, Gale’s little brother, already had a little thing going. They were technically “friends” but everyone who looked could see that Prim liked him and he liked her back, though, like Gale, his feelings were much deeper than a general liking and, like Katniss, Prim had no idea.  The two flirted like crazy and Katniss knew that they would eventually take the leap and get to together.  Her mother was smirking as well, exchanging a glance with Katniss to show she was thinking the same thing.  Their father on the other hand refused to see it, happily maintaining that both she and Prim were perfect little girls that still needed him to look under the bed for monsters. He didn’t want to see that they were growing up.

“You’re too young.  And the Mellark boy is too old for you too. Plus, all the gossip and fawning over him is only going to encourage him more.”

Katniss perked up at her father’s words, raising a brow in question but Prim beat her to the first remark.

“Daddy, I’m nearly eighteen, I’m plenty old enough. Plus, all I said was I heard he looked handsome.  I didn’t say I was going to go and try to make him my husband,” she drawled out.

Her father frowned at her deeply and opened his mouth to argue with her but Katniss quickly jumped in.  “What do you mean encourage him?”

Her father looked at her when she spoke, seeming really for the first time since they started dinner.  She was giving him a determined look, feeling defensive of the blonde man she had spent a good part of the day with.  As always, she knew she had no claim on him but she felt the need to defend him.  She, like her father in a lot of ways, was passionate about her viewpoints and stood unwaveringly when she made up her mind, all fire churning inside.  And she had made up her mind that Peeta was a good man and she would argue till she spit fire to anyone who disagreed with her.

He gave her a calculated look before he squared his shoulders and began coolly.  “All I’m saying is that boy had no reason to stick his head where it didn’t belong and join an army that was fighting a useless war.  It was a stupid thing for him to do, to throw his life away the way he did.”

Katniss jumped in quickly, nearly snapping at her father.  “You say that as if he is already dead.  He joined up because he believes in our country.  He joined up, even knowing that he will be sent to fight, so that he could protect and serve his country.  It’s not stupid. It’s brave.”

Everything was silent for a long moment, everyone just staring at her like she had spontaneously grown a third head. Her and her father were very similar and it was very rare that they had differing opinions about something. It was a rare occasion in which she and her father argued.  Not to mention no one knew she was so passionate about the subject, never having voiced an opinion before when her father started talking about the war. They were all very unprepared for the sudden tension in the air.

“And he’s not a soldier.  He didn’t join the Army.  He’s a Marine.  Sailors are in the Navy, airmen in the Air Force and soldiers in the Army.  He joined the Marines and the Marines are always Marines,” she fired again, on a roll and feeling too fired up all of a sudden to just let it go.

“Oh, snap,” Prim remarked after a moment, smirking to herself and breaking the shocked silence from everyone else at the table.

“Prim, behave yourself,” their mother scolded but Prim didn’t seem to care.  She only kept smiling at her sister, looking at her like she was her hero all of a sudden.

Her father leaned closer to Katniss, looking her in the eyes so she knew exactly how incredulous he was of her declaration. “You think he’s brave? He voluntarily joined to go invade foreign soil and act like police in a place that we have no right to be. You think that’s brave, to kill people who are angry with us for sticking our nose where it doesn’t belong?”

She nodded resolutely.  “Yes, I do.  Do not scorn him because you don’t agree with the battles our country chooses to fight. He didn’t make the choice to start this war, he didn’t sign up because he wanted to go fight a bloody war far from his home.  He joined because he believes in our country and he knew it couldn’t always be someone else’s son that had to fight.  He is willing to put his life on the line for our country, for all of us at home sitting around the dinner table discussing how their day was and the latest news. It’s so much bigger but you can’t see that,” she told him, her tone strong and unwavering.

Her father stared at her like he really didn’t know her all of a sudden, but she could see that he didn’t believe her. She hadn’t changed his mind and she didn’t know if she would ever really be able to.

“Who knew Katniss was so passionate about this. Daddy, you might want to step back before she takes her butter knife and stabs you,” Prim joked, twirling her fork absentmindedly in her casserole.

“Prim,” her mother scolded again while Prim laughed at her own joke.  Katniss stared down at her plate, not feeling very hungry all of a sudden.

“Let’s change the subject, okay,” her mother suggested, glancing worried towards the usually in-sync pair.

The rest of dinner was tense and awkward, neither gray eyed person willing to back down from their position, but unwilling to increase the tension by bringing it up again.


	4. Keep Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the support, I really appreciate it. Still looking for opinions on a public, grand gesture or a private intimate display of affection, or maybe somewhere in between?
> 
> Chapter 4 is coming up, though it is looking like a monster. Not sure if I'm going to break it into two parts or just give you a big thing . . . Give me time, I'll figure it out.
> 
> Oh, and with modern warfare, I'm assuming everyone knows what an IED is. But for those who don't, it stands for improvised explosive device. Basically, it's a homemade bomb and can be used in unconventional warfare. Often unpredictable or hidden, they have caused a lot of damage and casualties.

_Keep Calm and Love a Devil Dog_

 

Chapter 3

Keep Calm

 

As promised, Peeta returned to the restaurant the next day. He was there soon after the doors opened, going right past the hostess once more and going to the same booth. Like the day before Katniss found herself camping out at his booth with him until the lunch rush started to come in. He stayed throughout the entire rush and when it slowed down enough she rejoined him at the booth and relaxed and talked to him until her relief showed up. She ended up lingering at work long after she had finished up and had clocked out, sitting at their little booth and just talking. She didn’t leave until the dinner rush started coming in, at which point they decided to finally relinquish the booth so the night waitress could make some more money.

She found it remarkably easy to talk to him and she often lost track of the time she spent with him. They often chatted about nothing important, keeping it light, and dare she say it, flirty. He talked about his friends a lot, his brothers-in-arms whom he grew close to while they served their country together. He was closest to a man named Finnick, the leading man in many of his stories and his apparent best friend. Thresh, Brutus, Thom and Seeder were all frequently mentioned as well, a rowdy group of trash-talking Marines whom Peeta surrounded himself with and often managed to raise trouble with. Katniss was enthralled by his stories, hearing about his travels and the different, and often humorous, situations he and his friends got themselves into.

She also shared some of her own stories, though hers weren’t nearly as diverse. Her world has been limited to their small town and revolved around school, work, and family. The few stories she had that didn’t revolve around those subjects were about the one or two parties Gale dragged her to before and after their break up, which led to her own painful discussion of past lovers. Her own stories seemed to pale in comparison to Peeta’s but he seemed captivated in them nonetheless, as if they were much more than boring stories of her awkward misadventures.

She worked again the next night, in the lounge again, closing this time. He came in again, later in the night and ordered appetizers until the dinner rush ended and she could take a breath. She joined him when it had finally slowed down enough and it was then that he ordered the main meal, picking her favorite dish and insisting that she shared it with him. She was there well after closing that night, doing her side work and closing down the kitchen long after they had closed the doors but it meant that she got to spend more time with Peeta. He walked her to her car that night, asking if she was working the next day. She was, Friday and Saturday nights were their busiest so they liked to have their best servers on that night.

Katniss didn’t see him for most of the night the next night, finding that the lounge was extra busy that night, even for a Saturday night. She didn’t get a chance to do anything other than tend to her never ending revolving tables that night, the whole lounge and bar area crowded to practically capacity. She had also noticed that she was seeing a different sort of crowd that day, more the younger generation and more girls than she was used tending to. She didn’t make the connection as to why this was happening until later that night.

Katniss maneuvered the tray through the crowded lounge area and set it down on the tray jack that she had set down by the end of the table. She quickly began dishing out the correct meals to each girl.

“One Caribbean Salad, one Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad, one Santa Fe Salad and one Quesadilla Explosion Salad. Can I get you ladies anything else?” she asked, looking around the table.

The girls in question didn’t seem to hear her question, giggling amongst themselves and peering around her the best they could. Katniss stared at them strangely for a moment before she followed their gaze and found it focused on the bar. She had to scan the first few stools to see what all the commotion was about but felt utterly foolish when she finally did see him.

Peeta was quietly sitting at the end of the bar, a bottle of beer sitting in front of him. His attention was focused on the large TV hanging on the wall above the alcohol shelves; some sort of baseball game was playing. He looked handsome as ever in a fitted dark t-shirt and a pair of jeans. His fingers lightly drummed against the glass bottle in his hands before he grasped it and took a pull from it. He glanced down the bar as he swallowed the drink and then his eyes quickly found hers as if they were magnets. A breathtaking smile lit up his face and he offered a wave. She waved back quickly and then returned her attention to the table.

The girls were looking back and forth between her and Peeta, obviously wondering how she had gotten his attention in two seconds when they must have been trying all night. Word had probably gotten out that Peeta had been hanging out here for the past few days and all the eligible girls, it seemed, of a certain age had come running to scope him out. Katniss looked at these girls who looked to be at least a few younger then her, barely of age if they were at all, and she couldn’t help but smirk somewhat smugly.

“Can I get you ladies anything else?” she repeated, trying not to feel superior to them.

“No, thank you,” the girl closest to her right said while she continued to glance between her and Peeta as if they were some strange puzzle.

Katniss gave a polite smile and collect the tray and tray jack, quickly walking around the bar to where they stored them right by the kitchen. As soon as she had freed her hands she went back to where Peeta was seated, the seat closest the kitchen so she had unknowingly been walking by him since he had gotten there. She leaned into the small space between the end of the bar and his seat.

“Cashmere is taking good care of you, right?” she asked with a smile.

He tilted the beer bottle towards her, smiling brightly at her. “Yes, ma’am, this is already my third one,” he laughed.

“I’m not going to have to drive you home tonight, am I?” she joked, tucking some stray hairs back into her braid. She had been running around for so long now she was sure she had many fly-aways and that her hair must be a mess.

Peeta puffed out his chest in a show of bravado. “Fuck no, I’m a Marine, a Devil Dog. I can hold my alcohol. They don’t let you be a Marine unless you can drink every other branch under the table. It’s an unwritten rule,” he told her matter-of-factly.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Alright, tough guy, I believe you. Have you ordered food?”

Peeta shook his head. “Nah, I was debating whether or not I wanted anything. The food is so good here but I’ve been eating here for the past few days already. I’m not sure I’m going to make weigh in at this rate,” he told her lightly, running a hand over his neatly cut hair.

“We have some lighter choices on the menu, grilled chicken and tilapia and such, or you can go for a salad instead. All the salads are pretty good,” she told him.

Somehow she felt like she just get him to eat something. In part this was because they were in a restaurant, but also because he was already three beers in on an empty stomach. Despite his brave words, which she only partly believed as much of it was said in a joking tone, she didn’t want to test it. Peeta would probably be a fun drunk but she wasn’t sure if she was prepared for that just yet.

Peeta only laughed, turning his back to the man seated directly next to him so that he could face her and lean close. “I don’t know if you have noticed,” he began in a whisper, “but I have had a lot of people watching me tonight. Not sure how it would look if I just sat down with a salad. They might think I’m all mindful of my girlish figure or something.”

Katniss leaned in close as well, using a stage whisper. “You are mindful of your figure,” she told him slowly.

“But they don’t need to know that,” he fired back with a little sexy smirk, leaning back so that he could take another gulp from the bottle.

She watched him tip back his head as he drained the last of it. He waved a hand at Cashmere who glanced at his empty bottle and nodded, already moving over to ring him in another one before she popped the top off the bottle for him and leaned in to set it down. He thanked her kindly and then took another sip.

“How about a soup, then. I’ll get you a bowl. Is that manly enough for you?” she suggested, hoping he would take it.

He studied her for a moment, taking in her almost pleading eyes before he nodded. “Sure, I’ll have some soup.”

Katniss nodded enthusiastically and then told him she would be right back. She moved behind the bar, going to the computer there that the bartender uses. Cashmere merely glanced at her before she continued taking the order of a man across the bar. Katniss found Peeta’s seat number in the computer and clicked on it, allowing her to ring in a bowl of soup and put it under his tab. She decided on their most hearty kind of soup, not giving him a choice on the flavor.

Cashmere was soon at her side, watching her ring in the soup and waiting her turn so she could put in her own order. “I’m going to get Peeta some soup, I don’t want him drinking four beers on an empty stomach. See if you can get him to eat something more later on and do you mind watching his alcohol intake?”

Cashmere just raised a brow at her. “You succeeded where I already failed, I couldn’t get him to order anything besides beer. But yeah, I’ll watch your boy. He still looks good to me but I’ll keep an eye on him. Your boy is in good hands,” she smirked, bumping her hip playfully to get her out of the way so she could ring in her order.

Katniss felt heat rise to her cheeks and faltered for a moment. “He’s not my boy,” she stuttered out.

Cashmere only laughed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Oh, and have fun with table 92 over there. They've been glaring at you since you starting talking to your boy. You are so not getting a tip from them.”

Katniss glanced over her shoulder to look at the table she had just been at with the four girls. Their giggly mood seemed to have evaporated, sneering over at her. When they noticed her stare they looked away in a huff, turning inward to stab at their salads and whisper amongst themselves. They were probably trash talking her, Katniss assumed, and she sighed, knowing Cashmere was right to say she wasn’t going to get a tip from these girls.

Cashmere laughed at her resigned expression. “That’s what you get for hooking the town’s most sought after guy.”

Katniss huffed in exasperation. “I didn’t hook anyone. Peeta isn’t my guy. I don’t have a guy.”

Cashmere only nodded in a knowing way, clearing humoring her with an expression that said “sure, whatever you say sweetheart”. Katniss tried not to be bothered by this as she walked away and went back into the kitchen to get the soup.

After dropping off the soup Katniss couldn’t stick around for too long but she did repeatedly return him, taking away his bowl when he was finished and managing to convince him to order a burger. With the burger, however, came beer number five and six, though he wasn’t really showing it besides an obvious blurring of the lines of personal space that night. Katniss kept an eye on him, diverting her attention from all of her table to include him even if he technically wasn’t her guest but Cashmere’s instead. Like expected, she didn’t get a tip when the four girls left.

When it started slowing down and the lounge area started to empty out Peeta moved over to a booth in her section, taking only his drink since he had long since finished his meal. He relaxed and watched a football game now while she finished up for the night. When she settled into the booth with him she had finished most of her side work and was just waiting for her last table to finish up so that she could cash out with the manager and leave.

Peeta was drumming his fingers over the empty beer bottle in his hands, talking softly to fill the silence between them while they waited. He was saying something about bread and the baking process, something she knew he was knowledgeable about since he grew up in a bakery. But Katniss found herself distracted from his words, watching his hands drumming against the tinted bottle. Her eyes tracked the movement, noticing a peculiar pink line on his middle finger of his left hand. With the movement of his fingers she couldn’t make it out fully and she reached out to still his hands. She drew it closer to her, inspecting the jagged scar, to which he offer little resistance, letting her do what she pleased with his hand.

“Where do you get this scar?” she asked, running the pad of her finger of the barely raised skin of the scar.

She imagined him as a little kid, an accident like so many kids are prone to do, having to go get stitches. Katniss herself had a scar on her ball of her foot from when she stepped on a tin can lid that had fallen from the counter in her roughhousing with Gale while in the kitchen. Her mother had calmly elevated her foot and wrapped it in a towel while Katniss screamed her head off and Gale tried not to look sick from all the blood gushing from her foot. It had been an ordeal for them all; especially considering her mother had to drive them to the hospital while Prim was only a few weeks old by herself since her father had been at work. Gale held her hand while her mother hugged her with her free arm, the other occupied by her fussy sister, while the doctor stitched her foot closed. She got ten stitches that day and to this day she can’t look at blood without getting a bit woozy.

But Peeta clenched his jaw and let out a small hiss instead and she looked up to see his careful expression. “Shrapnel,” he told her and then quickly explained when her eyes widened in fear.

“I was up on the turret, a huge machine gun mounted to the top of the Humvee. From there, only your bottom half is actually in the vehicle, you sort of just hang out there and man the gun if needed. We were in a small convoy and the Humvee in front of us hit an IED on the side of the road. I had the sense to duck down and protect my face but I wasn’t wearing my gloves like I should have been and a piece of shrapnel found me. It was a small IED, barely even slowed us down and no one was hurt except me, who was the dummy who had left his gloves back at the base. A pair of tweezers, some disinfectant, and a few stitches and I was good to go,” he told her, trying to make light of the story, as if he hadn’t come face to face with a type of explosive that have taken a lot of lives already.

Katniss stared at him in concern, suddenly hating the idea of him anywhere near a hidden explosive. Realistically, she knew that he faced dangerous situations when he was deployed and there wasn’t anything he or she could do about it, but now her mind was conjuring up the worst ideas ever. She saw horror story after horror story on the news about their country’s troops dying because of IEDs. Just the thought of it and Peeta in the same situation made her stomach churn.

He seemed to know what she was thinking somehow and immediately he was squeezing her hand in his. He reached across the table and gently cupped her face with his hand, forcing her to look up at him. His hauntingly blue eyes seemed to stare right into her soul, and it suddenly all felt too perfect and too right for him to be looking at her this way, like he was meant to it and had always been doing it and always will. Something she had never felt before blossomed in her chest, swelling up too tightly and she almost found it hard to breathe.

“Hey,” he muttered, his thumb ever so gently stroking her cheek, “I’m okay. Nothing has happened to me and I’m careful. Plus, I have Finnick and my boys to watch my back. I’m okay,” he promised.

Katniss forced a deep breath down into her smothered lungs, closing her eyes and trying to force herself to believe the thinly made promise. She knew he couldn’t always say that he would always be okay; he couldn’t make the promise that nothing was going to happen. Things happen that are simply out of their control and they just have to adjust. Still, she couldn’t fight the knot in her stomach and the fear that struck her deep inside at the thought that she might not see him again, that he may simply cease to exist because of a bomb or a bullet. She thought of a uniform clad man handing over a folded flag, as if that would ever be enough to honor the beautiful blonde man in front of her.

A little voice in her head told her that she probably shouldn’t be so concerned about this; she wasn’t the one they would be handing the flag to if something were to happen. But she ignored it, feeling like something bigger was happening and it somehow did concern her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he muttered again and she forced herself to nod and calm down. She felt him gently pulling her closer, leading her to lean over the table. She kept her eyes closed but followed him, feeling something brush her forehead and enjoying the way his warm hand traveled up to cup the back of her head and tangle his fingers into her already messy braid.

When she finally opened her eyes, the moment having stretched on long enough for her stomach to settled, her chest to loosen, and the panic and fear to dissipate, she was surprised to see Peeta so close. His forehead was pressed ever so slightly against hers, his lips hovering close to hers and his eyes closed. It felt right to be here with him, to feel him close and feel the flutter of excitement inside her. His eyes slowly opened to meet hers and he smiled, leaning away ever so slightly so that he could stare into her eyes and brush hair away from her face.

“Feel better now?” he asked her and she nodded slowly.

She leaned away then, her face flushing in embarrassment. She took a breath, looking away and noticing Cashmere at the bar trying not to stare at them, quietly going through the cash drawer behind the bar distractedly. Her last table was getting up now, obviously having been watching them as well. She fussed with her hair, feeling where Peeta had loosened the braid when he had knotted his fingers in it, and then offered Peeta a nervous smile when she felt his gaze.

“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable,” he said suddenly, stopping her and all of her fidgeting.

She shook her head enthusiastically. “No, it’s not that at all,” she said quickly. She reached out immediately and grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “No, everything is good,” she promised though she felt entirely foolish about everything.

She felt like she was on constantly shifting ground. When she was with Peeta, everything felt right. She felt good talking to him, and having him close. The lines of personal space were definitely blurred today but she felt good about it, as if Peeta was supposed to reach out and touch her, lean in close, and just be there. But as soon as she started to feel comfortable with it all of her fears and insecurities come flaring up. As right as it might feel to her, she and Peeta weren’t a thing, they weren’t together. They were friends at this point (with lines blurring ever so slightly) and she didn’t know what to do.

He nodded, but didn’t say more so she gave his hand another squeeze and then quickly left to clean up after her last departed guests. Peeta lingered while she finished up, going through her money to separate her tips from what she needed to hand into her boss. He was still relaxing in the booth when Katniss cashed out in the office with Sae, the restaurant owner, along with Cashmere, who felt it necessary to tease Katniss a little about “her boy” before she left.

Peeta eagerly hopped out of the booth when Katniss came back out, gathering her small over-the-shoulder purse and small jacket. “You ready to go?” he asked, giving her a smile but keeping his distance, she noticed.

She nodded and allowed him to open the door for her as they slipped out, ignoring Cashmere who was making kissy faces at her from the kitchen. Katniss was parked in the back of the restaurant, in one of the spots in the very back of the little parking area. The night was cool and in the nearly empty, dark parking lot Katniss was very much aware of Peeta next to her. He was still keeping his distance from her, probably spooked by her sudden withdrawal from him earlier. She could feel the distance between them, even if they were physically close enough that she could reach out to him if she wanted, and she hated that she had somehow messed this up.

Taking a risk before she could double think it and talk herself out of it, she reached out and grabbed his hand gently. He seemed to pause, faltering in his step and her hand slipped out of his when he didn’t immediately grab it in return, feeling stupid for even trying to hold his hand. But before she could pull away completely he was grasping her hand in his, intertwining their fingers, and bumping her shoulder playfully and refusing to let her hand go.

She looked down at their joined hands, feeling them swing between them, and she couldn’t help but smile. No one was around; it was just them in a dark parking lot, walking at a snarl’s pace so that they could enjoy the other’s presence for just a little bit longer. Her hand seemed to fit perfectly in his and she was sure her face was bright red by now but her heart was fluttering happily in her chest and she just felt good.

Peeta had a small little smile the entire walk, both of them sending little nervous glances at one another and laughing a bit when they happened to catch the other’s eye. When they finally reached her car they leaned against it for a moment, lingering there so that they could keep their hands intertwined together. His thumb kept rubbing against her hand, a comforting little action.

“Do you work tomorrow?” he asked her and she shook her head.

“No, they usually give me Sunday off so I can catch my breath,” she told him.

He gave a little smile, hesitating ever so slightly and looking nervous all of a sudden. “I want to take you out on a date,” he said after a moment.

Her already fluttering heart seemed to skip a beat and she smiled. “What do you have in mind?” she asked quietly, staring at their linked hands because it felt safer than looking him in the eyes.

“I don’t know. I have an idea, but I don’t know if I want to tell you now. But I think maybe picking you up at eight and taking you somewhere.”

Katniss nodded slowly, smiling softly to herself. “That sounds interesting,” she muttered.

“Interesting enough for you to give it a try?”

She waited a moment, a bubble of nervous and excitement twisting her stomach, before she nodded. “Yeah, I’m interested.”

She risked a glance and was rewarded by a bright, breathtaking, happy smile breaking out over his face. He looked really happy, his eyes shining brightly and his hand squeezing hers tightly.

“I’m not going to lie,” he started suddenly, an excited edge to his voice, “its sort of like a dream come true hearing you say that. I wasn’t lying when I said that I had a huge crush on you growing up,” he laughed.

Katniss joined him, finding his laugh contagious. “I still can’t believe that. It seems so surreal. I didn’t even think you knew I existed.”

He shook his head. “You are impossible to miss, I promise you that. I don’t think you know the effect you have on people.”

She looked up at him, into his earnest blue eyes and never before did she want to kiss someone so badly. Before, she was never one to initiate things. With Gale, he had just spun her around after she had gotten done yelling at him for being a difficult asshole and kissed her roughly. She hadn’t seen it coming, never even knowing that Gale liked her at all beside a vague suspicion that she didn't want to think about, and she hadn’t wanted it. The kiss had been somewhat enjoyable, of course, prompting her to give into the idea of being with him after a lot of emotional back and forth and also Gale’s persuasive words.

With Seneca, she had been drunk, so much so that she hadn’t minded when he had been clinging a little too close for the better part of the evening. And then he had suddenly swooped in while she had been attempting to get up from the couch they had been jammed into so that she could go get another drink she hadn’t needed. Like with Gale, the kiss had been enjoyable, and with her lowed inhibitions, one thing led to another. But she hadn’t expected it, hadn’t wanted it, and had just accepted it once it happened.

With Peeta, it was different. She could see herself actually being with him, leaning close and brushing his lips to hers. She wanted it, wondering what it would feel like to have his soft looking lips pressed to hers. Would it be rough like Gale’s or sloppy like Seneca’s? Or would it be completely different? She wanted it, craved it, but even more, a part of her that she didn’t want to acknowledge craved more than just a kiss. She craved his closeness, his warmth, his heart. She wanted to bask in his strength, to feel a sense of belonging and utter rightness she only felt with him.

She had never wanted a man before, but she wanted him now.

And all of a sudden the words bubbled up within her, looking into his bright blue eyes that seemed to shine even in the darkened parking lot, and she wanted to tell him. She wanted to reach out and kiss him if words failed her or tell him everything she felt but didn’t understand. She was suddenly overwhelmed with needing to let him know, let him know the whirlwind of emotions that had sprung up so quickly and entirely too deeply, especially considering he was leaving in a matter of days.

But she choked the words down, knowing she wasn’t nearly brave enough to show him exactly how she felt. It was too soon, too complicated, and she was too afraid. She wasn’t ready for the leap of faith.

“Let me drive you home,” she said instead, feeling like a coward but still wanting to be close to him even for a few minutes more.

He laughed, shaking his head. “I told you, I’m good. I can handle my alcohol,” he promised, misinterpreting her request.

She wanted to correct him, to tell him that she just wanted to be with him. She couldn’t tell him why, or even understand it herself. She just felt good with him, like she was supposed to be with him, and it was the strangest but best feeling in the world.

But she couldn’t find the words. “Please,” was all she could muster.

He stared at her; again with that same look he seemed to give her as if she was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. But then he nodded and she couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face. He glanced quickly at his car, the old car he had driven during high school and had seen better days, sitting off by itself on the other side of the lot and then started to the other side of the car. She quickly unlocked the car and together they clamored into the older model car.

Katniss couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in her, noticing him struggle to get comfortable in the passenger seat. Prim had been the last person in the car with her and Prim had a habit of sitting close to the dash. Peeta, much larger than her tiny seventeen-year-old sister, had his knees jammed against the dash and had to reach under the seat to pull the lever to ease the seat backwards. He flashed her a smiled as soon as he had the proper leg room.

“Prim was in my car last,” she explained briefly, enjoying that bright smile he was giving her.

He nodded with an understand look. “That would explain it. She was always a slight, little thing. I don’t imagine she could have gotten much bigger.”

Katniss shook her head and eased the car onto the road, grateful for the nonexistent traffic. “Nope, still a tiny thing, despite the fact that she’s graduating and growing up,” she muttered, trying to stay focused on the road.

“She’s graduating?” he asked in alarm and she glanced at him to see his wide eyes staring back at her. She nodded her answer.

He shook his head and turned to stare out the windshield, his face the perfect expression of awe. “When the hell did that happen? She was still so small when I left. How could she be old enough to graduate?”

Katniss glanced at him with a raised brow. “You act as if you were gone for many years. It’s only been three; she was already in high school when you left. It’s no surprise that she’s growing up. We all knew it was going to happen,” she told him.

He shrugged. “I know, but somehow I still perpetually see her as this tiny blonde girl whom I used sneak sugar cookies to when you two would stop into the bakery.”

Katniss smiled softly, remembering all those times. Katniss, always proud and never wanting to except things without earning them, never actually witnessed the transactions between the two because she would have put a stop to it or at least pay for it. But, without fail, when she left the bakery with the required amount of bread for that night’s dinner, there would be Prim happily munching on a perfectly decorated sugar cookie. It always made Prim so happy and Katniss didn’t have the heart to scold her when she looked so delighted by the enchantingly made cookie.

“She used to love that, you know,” she told him.

Peeta looked to her, taking in her soft smile and then spoke. “I told my brothers to continue doing it. I didn’t know if they actually did, they aren’t very good at breaking the rules, but I wanted it to continue.” His tone was genuine and Katniss didn’t doubt it for a second.

She didn’t have the heart to tell him that the other Mellark boys never snuck Prim a cookie. Eventually, Prim stopped going with her to get the bread, not having anything in it for her. She could still remember the disappointed look on her sister’s face when the two stopped into the bakery for the first time after Peeta left. It had been more than just a cookie to her, it was a tradition, a moment to bond with the kind hearted baker’s son. Peeta had wanted that to continue even when he had gone to serve their country. The other Mellark boys had failed them both.

The bakery came into view all too quickly and Katniss eased the car into park along the curb. Peeta leaned towards the window and looked up at the apartment above with all its windows dark. Katniss looked up at it too, wondering for the first time how three boys had been raised in the small space above their family store. The space was smaller than her own childhood home, she realized, and she couldn’t imagine it having more than three bedrooms, probably only two. At least she always had her own room. She couldn’t imagine him ever having his own room.

He looked back at her and smiled. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it,” she told him.

He hesitated getting out of the car, reaching out after a moment and tucking hair away from her face before dragging his thumb over her cheek. Again, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him but she fought the urge. He extracted himself from the car and then leaned down, poking his head back in.

“Wear something comfortable and bring a sweater,” he said with a smile and then he was gone, closing the door and walking away. Katniss watched him fish out a cigarette from his pocket and light up, moving towards the back of the bakery backdoor. He looked back only once, giving her a wave before he was completely out of sight.

She eased her car back on the road, her heart beating a mile a minute. She had a date tomorrow with Peeta Mellark.


	5. Roses Are Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all your support. Haven't had time to go back and answer comments but I will, I promise.
> 
> My original plan had been to finish this chapter and the next and post them together since they were divided into two parts. However, been busy with work and the next chapter is still in the works. Decided to post this chapter now versus making you all wait a few more days to get my act together. Next chapter will be up soon, promise.

_Roses are Red,_

_Cammies are Green,_

_I’m in love with a US Marine_

Chapter 4 

Roses Are Red (Part 1)

 

 

Sunday morning went as it usually did, waking up early to get ready for church.  The majority of their town was Christian and as a result the church is often crowded on Sundays.  Katniss wore one of her usual church dresses and joined her family for prayer. Gale was next to her, his own family sitting together with her own.  She found herself distracted, however, by Peeta seated a few rows ahead of her with his family, looking very handsome in his dress shirt, a gray vest with a simple tie and slacks.  He glanced back at her repeatedly during the service, giving her a smile every time he caught her eye.

She didn’t see him after the service, being swept up in the crowd and then ushered away by her family.  Instead, they all made their way home, where the two families lived next door to one another.  As they usually did each Sunday, the two families met at one of the houses and Mrs. Everdeen and Mrs. Hawthorne, with Prim and Gale’s sister Posy helping, quickly started on brunch.  And like always, Katniss found herself outside with Gale, sitting on the old tire swing on the big oak tree in her backyard.

Gale gently gave her a push and Katniss closed her eyes and let the breeze sooth her as it ruffled her hair. It was moments like these that she felt very close to peaceful, as if she was one with nature around them. She smiled and then opened her eyes, feeling the rope twist and then she was suddenly looking at Gale instead of having him to her back.  He had a strange look in his eyes, an almost adoring look and he was focused solely on her.

Katniss looked away then, not wanting to see that look on her friend’s face when it was focused on her.  She often worried that Gale still loved her and it was moments like these that supported that theory.  She was the one to break up with Gale, something that had caused a lot of tension between the two families since they were both so close. Gale had been heartbroken, Katniss guilty and neither one of them wanted to be in the other’s presence for some time. Their families had tried to stay impartial and not take sides, but it was hard to deal with the tension that had suddenly sprung up between the two without placing blame when each one of their children was hurting.

It took time to get back to a good place, where they could talk and be friends once more.  The peace between them then took a hit when the whole Seneca debacle happened. It had been a drunken mistake but Gale, still suffering silently from his heartbreak, had taken it as a personal affront, as if Seneca was good enough for her when he wasn’t. That injury had taken time to heal as well and there had been a lot of convincing on Katniss’s part to make Gale know it had been a mistake and that she regretted it.  They were on a good footing again and Katniss was reluctant to rock the boat, fearing what would happen once more.  Even when Gale’s relationship status had changed, Katniss had only felt momentary relief before she realized that somehow still nothing had changed.

It was also why Katniss felt so unsure about this Peeta situation.  She felt right with him but as soon as she was allowed to think about it her insecurities start to run amok.  She wanted to be able to talk to her best friend about it, to hash out details and reassure her or call her an idiot if needed.  But she couldn’t do that with Gale.  He wouldn’t want to hear that she had a date today that she was nervous but equally excited about. He didn’t want to hear that she really liked Peeta because, like Seneca, if would mean that someone was good enough for her when he wasn’t.  It wasn’t the case, of course, because she loved Gale, but she loved him in a different way than he loved her.  And if she allowed herself to, she could really like Peeta, more than she was willing to admit. She was reluctant to rock the boat between them, but if things worked out, she could end up capsizing the boat by opening herself up to Peeta.

Gale interrupted her musing after a moment. “Hey, you wanna come to a party tonight? The Legg sisters are throwing another party and Madge and I are going,” he tells her, like he has many times before.

The Legg sisters are notorious for throwing huge blowouts practically every week, never mind if it is a week day or not. Gale goes to practically every single party, needing a release after working the same dead end job that their fathers do, tending the fields all day for shit pay.  As Gale’s girlfriend and somewhat of a party girl, Madge was always in attendance as well, especially since she was particularly close to the Legg sisters.  And as Gale’s best friend, Katniss often got invited.  Thankfully, since she was often working or studying for school, she was able to bow out.

“That’s alright, maybe next time,” she mutters politely but Gale didn’t seem to be taking it.

He reached out as the swing came back towards him and grabbed a hold of the rope, jarring her slightly but pulling her close to him so she couldn’t escape.

“Oh, come on.  What are you going to do, sit at home and watch TV?  It’s Sunday, I know you don’t work tonight. Why don’t you live a little and come out with us?” he questions.

Katniss shied away from him the best she can, leaning away from him and turning her head to look at the ground. “I’m busy, Gale, I have plans,” she mutters, hoping he wouldn’t ask what her plans were but unable to think of anything else to say to him.  If Katniss was one thing, a liar she wasn’t.  She could never convincingly lie and she knew Gale would never believe her if she tried to make an excuse for tonight. 

“You’re busy?  Katniss, you’re not working tonight, you’re not busy,” he tells her, his tone exasperated. 

“I’m sorry, Gale.  I can’t tonight,” she mutters after a moment’s hesitation.

His brows furrow and his intense gray eyes bore into her.  She could practically see his argument formulating in his head, just roaring to go and she grimaced. However, before he could open his mouth the back door of the Hawthorne house opens and Mrs. Hawthorne pokes her head out, her eyes immediately zeroing in on them on the tire swing.

Katniss quickly notes the look on concern on her face, knowing what it must look like to have Gale holding the tire close in place and leaning over her.  She knew Gale’s mother worried over her son, who loved her too deeply, and she didn’t want him to get hurt again.  To her, an outsider looking into their current positions, she knew immediately knew that his mother was worried that they would fall right back into their old pattern and Gale would get hurt in the end.

But the concern is quickly masked as best the woman can and she instead smiles and waves her hand at them.  “Brunch is ready.  Come inside,” she calls to them and Katniss quickly pushes at Gale so that he would let her go.  The tire swings out and she scrambles to get her feet out under so that she could stop herself and climb out.

Gale waits for her to climb out before they make their way over to the backdoor held open by Gale’s mother. They cross the property line between the two houses quickly, having removed the fence years before so that the two families could have one large, spacious joined yard.  In no time they are entering the house, slowly passing Mrs. Hawthorne as they enter.  When Katniss passes her she gets a look from the older woman, not one that was threatening but a warning nonetheless to keep herself distanced from Gale. Katniss quickly looks away, ashamed that she had played any part in hurting Gale at all in the past.

The two families settle themselves around the large table, extended so that more people could sit at the table. Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne sit together at one of the table alongside Katniss’s parents as well.  Posy and Prim always sit together as well, as Posy was the youngest Hawthorne child and the only girl and she looked up to Prim like she was a hero.  Rory always tended to sit close to Prim as well with Vick, the youngest boy, on the other side. Gale and Katniss took the last two chairs next to one another.

Good conversation flowed over the table and good food was passed around and enjoyed between bits of conversation. Gale tried to pester her while they ate, trying to get her to agree to join him and Madge to the party. Katniss deflected his inquiries as best she could but spent most of the meal lost in her own thoughts, and thus, ignoring Gale.  She fled as quickly as possible as soon as the meal was over.

Katniss spent the better part of day nervously preparing for her date and ignoring Gale’s near constant text messages. She showered early, allowing her hair to air-dry and then nervously twisting it this way and that way but never really liking how it looked or hung around her face.  Eventually she got frustrated with her hair and had switched to scrutinizing her wardrobe, picking up this skirt or this blouse before discarding it.  She wanted to look perfect, or at least close to it.  She wanted to look nice for Peeta but somehow nothing seemed to be working out like she’d hoped.

Finally, as the day was progressing and she really did need to start getting it together unless she wanted to be late, she begrudgingly knocked softly on her sister’s door.  She waited for the soft reply that allowed her entrance before she slowly entered and eased the door closed, turning to face her sister with a look of mild panic on her face.

Prim, who had been lying on her stomach on the bed looking over a magazine, jumped up in alarm.  “What?  What’s wrong?”

Katniss sighed and rubbed at her temple. “Don’t make fun of me for this, but I need help,” she said, stepping closer to the bed where her sister still looked like she was going to drop a bomb on her, “I have a date and I have no clue what to wear and what to do with my hair.”

There was a long pause and the look of alarm on her sister’s face slowly transformed to relief.  “That’s it?  I thought you were coming to tell me Gale got you pregnant or something,” she said, her tone much lighter.

Katniss glared at her younger sister. “What?  Me and Gale aren’t like that, you know that, and I’m not that stupid to just get knocked up.”

Prim rolled her eyes.  “I said, “or something,” which meant it wasn’t exclusive to that one example.  You just looked very panicked.  I thought the world was ending.  Date preparation, I can help with.”

Her little sister casually climbed off the bed and strolled over to her, smirking mischievously.  “On one condition, of course,” she said slyly.

Katniss narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What do you want?”

Prim’s mischievous demeanor quickly changed, lighting up in infectious enthusiasm.  “I need details, of course, like who this guy is and where you are going. Now come sit down at my vanity, I’m going to curl your hair,” she told her, taking her hand leading her over to the white vanity by the window.

While Prim worked, starting by separating her hair into sections and pinning certain sections out of the way, Katniss started talking.  It felt awkward at first because, even with how close they were as sisters, they didn’t talk boys with one another.  Katniss was older than her and thus tended to still view her as a little girl, forgetting that by the time Katniss had been her age her and Gale were still in that awkward circling stage, where he was working up the courage to act on his feelings while she was getting frustrated with him acting so weird.  Katniss had only been slightly older than Prim was now when she and Gale got together and she had lost her virginity to him. It was weird for her to think that Prim was getting to that same age now, where boys were serious things now, and that they could talk to one another about it and be able to understand and relate.

However, as she started talking, and as Prim started to gush because Katniss had somehow managed to scoop _the_ most sought after guy in town at the moment, the older dark haired girl realized that this was exactly what she needed. Katniss didn’t have many girl friends and she wasn’t very comfortable having girl talk as a result. But she suddenly found that girl talk was exactly what she needed at that moment, to have a friend comfort her, gush with her, and reassure her that she wasn’t making a mistake. She couldn’t talk to Gale, her best friend, about it, but once she started talking to Prim about Peeta and this date everything she had been holding all came gushing out like word vomit.

She told her sister about all of their shared moments, how he liked to hang out at the restaurant just to be with her, even if she was working and couldn’t really hang around with him. She told her about holding his hand, talking about their friends and family, about bullying him into eating. She told her how nice it felt for him to lean in close and comfort her, how perfect it had felt for him to reach out and touch her.  She told her about her fears and her insecurities, and how they tend to disappear when she lost herself in his blue eyes and tended to rear their ugly heads back up at the most inopportune moments.  She told her how she was really nervous about her date tonight, but also how excited she was, and how it amazed her because she had never felt this way about a boy before.  Peeta was different, she tried to explain to her little sister, he made her feel different, but not in the ways she had felt when she was with Gale, like she was only pretending to be someone she wasn’t when he kept dragging her to parties and kissing her. She felt different with Peeta, but a good different, stronger and just better.  She liked how she felt with Peeta, which scared her, especially considering that he was leaving soon.  Everything came bubbling up at once, and she rambled on and on while Prim finished her hair and turned her around so she could apply some makeup.

And when she was done, having gotten most of it out of her though she felt as if she could go one forever about all the wonderful things about all things Peeta, and she felt as if she had rambled on enough, she just looked at her sister and waited for a response.  While she had been rambling, Prim had been squealing in delight or offering little tidbits here and there, but Katniss had been the one dominating the conversation.  And now, as she had fallen silent, she suddenly needed to hear her sister’s approval, to hear that she wasn’t foolish and that she should take the leap of faith. So she waited with bated breathed so her cute little blonde sister to speak up.

Prim stared down at her, pulling the make up brush away from her face so she could study her sister’s face.  She seemed to be organizing her thoughts together, and Katniss anxiously waited, before the blonde smiled sweetly at her and finally opened her mouth.  “You strike me as a rustic wedding kind of girl.  You think Peeta will be okay with that?” she asked innocently.

Nervous, relieved laughter bubbled up in Katniss, just immensely comforted that her sister approved of the risk she was taking, if the fact she was already planning their wedding was any indication.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, little duck. Let’s see if I make it through this date before we start planning the wedding details,” she said with a laugh.

Prim rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically, as if what she was asking her was a huge task for her.  But then the girl relaxed and brought the brush back to her face, focusing on the makeup but smiling softly to herself.

“I think he’s good for you,” she muttered at last, taking a step back to really look her sister in the eyes rather just focusing on her makeup.  “You seem . . . I don’t know, just, more _alive_. I’ve never seen you look so happy. You spent most of brunch sitting quietly in dream world, smiling softly to yourself and ignoring Gale. I think I have a good idea what you were thinking about,” she said and Katniss couldn’t help her blush.

“I feel good with him,” she muttered almost inaudibly, staring at the floor since it seemed like a safer place to look than the honest face of her sister.

“And it shows,” Prim said back softly, gently tugging her head up so that she could continue with the finishing touches. After a moment she stepped back again, smiling and nodding.  “Yup, you look perfect.  Now it’s time to get you dressed.  What time is he picking you up and what kind of date is this?  Its is casual or fancy?”

Prim stepped away from her, moving towards her closet and examining the items she had.  Katniss spoke while the blonde teen idly combed through her closet. “He said to wear something comfortable and bring a sweater but he hasn’t told me anything about the actual date. It’s a mystery to me but he said eight,” she muttered.

Prim glanced behind her and then quickly dug out a shirt from her closet, tossing it on the bed.  “Put that on, I’m going to grab a pair of your jeans,” Prim told her before she quickly exited the bedroom.  Katniss was taller than her sister and had fuller hips so she could never be able to fit into Prim’s jeans.

Katniss stood and stripped her shirt, thankful that the curls Prim had done were loose and she was able to easily maneuver in and out of clothes without fear of messing up her hair.  The shirt Prim had chosen for her was a simple gray tank top, somewhat loose fitting but still close enough to still show off her trim frame. Prim returned quickly with jeans and shoes in hand and tossed her the pair of jeans before she quickly went back to her closet to root around for a sweater.  The jeans Prim had chosen were a pair of fitted skinny jeans, light blue in color and had multiple holes and patches of white, distressed strings, showing off bits of her creamy olive skin.  Katniss mentally sighed in relief that she had shown enough forethought to properly shave her legs that day.  Prim finally turned and handed her a pair of brown, rustic ankle boots and a light tan colored cardigan. 

As soon as the last articles were on, Prim took a step back to give her a once over and smiled, nodding her head approvingly. She quickly ushered her towards the closet where a full-length mirror hung.  As soon as she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew she was right to come to Prim for help.

The tank top and jeans fit her perfect, hugging her in all the right places.  Paired with the boots and the cardigan, she looked comfortable but stylish, the perfect combinations to complete the outfit.  Her long dark hair was curled elegantly, hanging in loose curls and framing her face that was artfully painted.  The make up was light, only a little bit of foundation and concealer to even out her skin tone. Prim had lined her eyes lightly and brushed her eyes with enough eye shadow to still appear natural but also make her eyes pop.  Some minor contouring and highlighting and a dash of mascara, Katniss truly looked beautiful, exactly how she wanted to look for Peeta.

“Wow,” she muttered, idly fingering the hem of the tank top, “Thank you, Prim,” she whispered in awe.

Prim waved her off.  “You just have to tell me all the details.”

Katniss nodded and stepped forward to give her sister a hug.  “I will,” she promised.

Together, the two girls went downstairs to wait for Peeta to arrive.  Prim was excellent at keeping her distracted so that she didn’t start nervously pacing or start to talk herself out of the whole thing.  Prim was curled tightly against her when a knock sounded on the door and Katniss’s heart immediately went into overdrive.  Prim only smiled almost too gleefully and pushed her, prompting her to stand and open the door.

Katniss hesitated at the door, her hands shaking ever so slightly and she had to take a calming breath before she closed her eyes and reach out towards the doorknob.  She yanked open the door before she could second guess herself, opening her eyes just enough and offering a weak smile.

“Oh, good, you’re dressed.  You look amazing.  I was expecting sweatpants,” Gale said with a smile, his eyes dragging up and down her frame appraisingly and nodding in approval.  “Wow, you really do look good,” he repeated while pushing past her to enter the house.

Katniss blinked dumbly at him, not understand what was happening for a moment.  She glanced out at the now empty street, still looking for Peeta whom hadn’t arrived yet and then glanced back behind her, looking at Gale standing in her living room, smiling smugly at her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking back and forth between Gale and Prim, who looked equally as dismayed that Gale had shown up as Katniss felt.

“I’m dragging you to the party. Now come on, we still have to go pick up Madge,” he told her, reaching out to grab her arm and start towing her towards the door.

Katniss quickly wrenched her arm from his grip. “Gale, I told you no. I couldn’t go out tonight,” she told him, frustration bubbling up in her as well as mild panic that seemed to build with each moment.  She glanced at the clock and saw that eight o’clock was fast approaching and Peeta should be there any moment.  She didn’t want Gale and Peeta to come face to face; she didn’t know how she would deal with that. She needed Gale to get out of there, like now.

“Wow, honey, you look nice,” her father’s voice suddenly permeated into the room and Katniss whirled around to see her father coming down the stairs, an empty glass in his hand, no doubt on his way to the kitchen.  He seemed to notice Gale then, at that moment, giving him a warm smile.

“Gale, good to see you,” he welcomed, coming forward to pat him familiarly on the back.

It was no secret that Mr. Everdeen loved Gale. Gale was like the son he never had, a boy whom the eldest Everdeen had welcomed into their family from day one. He had always been a sort of second father to Gale, taking time out of his day to teach him things growing up and was always there for advice as well.  The two seemed to share the same opinions and would go on for hours and hours going back and forth about this topic or that topic, even if they were in complete agreement.  They worked together in the fields, side by side, talking and growing closer to one another with each passing day.  When Katniss and Gale got together her father had been elated and then almost equally as devastated when they broke up.  To this day he still hoped that the two would bridge the gap and get over themselves and get back together.  He still held onto the hope that he would one day officially call Gale son, even if it were only by the law.

“You two heading out?  Grand plans tonight?” he questioned, pointing his questions toward Gale rather than Katniss.

“Well, that’s the plan.  Got a party tonight,” Gale told him with a small smile.

Katniss rolled her eyes.  “No, that’s not the plan.  That’s your plan, not mine,” she said and it was Gale’s turn to roll his eyes. He turned towards her father and gave him an unimpressed look.

“That is, if I can convince your stubborn daughter, of course,” he amended.

Her father looked at her, a question rising up to the surface but he didn’t get the chance before another knock sounded at the door.  She whipped around quickly, staring at the seemingly innocent closed door in front of her, where Peeta no doubt stood on the other side.  She was grossly aware of both Gale _and_ her father standing behind her, muttering quietly to themselves that they weren’t expecting company.  The mild panic that had been building up was now overflowing, leaving her frozen in her spot. Her nerves were a wreck and she was wholly unprepared with how to deal with this situation that had very suddenly spiraled out of control.

Thankfully Prim could see her panic and jumped up. She nudged her gently and snapped herself out of her trance, gesturing towards the stairs.  “Go upstairs and grab your purse.  I’ll greet him and handle this.  Go,” she told her calmly, ever so cool under pressure.

Katniss nodded dumbly and started to move away, stopping when Prim suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “Be prepared to make a fast getaway,” Prim whispered to her so only she could hear, and then pushed her forward, urging her to get a move on.  Katniss didn’t waste a moment, running up the stairs and ignoring the sound of the front door opening behind her and Prim’s cheery greeting.

Katniss quickly found her purse where she always set it on the small desk in her room.  Instead of immediately rushing back down the stairs, however, she did take a moment to collect herself.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to settle her nerves. She was excited about this, she reminded herself, and then glanced in the mirror, adjusting how some of curls sat on her shoulders and tried to smile. She could do this, reminded herself, feeling bubbles of excited and nervous energy flutter around in her stomach.

She made her way down the stairs then, wondering if the boys had somehow managed to chase Peeta off in the time she was up stairs. Instead she found the three guys and Prim all standing around awkwardly, seeming to be at a loss for words. Gale was glaring at Peeta intensely, her father standing back with a somewhat guarded expression that simultaneous showed his discontent and he looked like he had smelled something foul. Prim-sweet and innocent, kind heart Prim-was standing between them and Peeta, acting like a barrier. She was smiling uneasily, trying to ease the tension in the room but failing spectacularly. 

Peeta stood close to the door; his head held high, back straight, and shoulders back, an obviously disciplined man. He looked handsome like he always did, a few days worth of scruff on his face, his dark red shirt stretched across his chest and a pair of well fitted dark jeans and boots.  Both of his hands were tucked behind him, crossed at the small of his back as if he was standing at attention.  It was obvious that he could tell that he wasn’t the most popular guy in the room but was very level headed, not challenging them but not backing away either, simply accepting them.

He noticed her coming down the stairs right away and gave her a bright smile, his eyes locked on her face for a long moment before it dragged down to take in the rest of her.  A look of awe passed over his face and his smile brightened. “You look beautiful,” he said, breaking the silence of the room. 

Katniss couldn’t the blush and the smile that broke out on her face.  She chose to ignore the utterly disgusted look on Gale’s face and didn’t even bother looking at her father at all.  “You don’t look bad yourself,” she quipped with a smile, already feeling a certain amount of ease at just being in his presence, even if the tension in the room was still stifling.

Peeta chuckled and ran a hand over his neatly cut blonde buzz cut.  “Yeah, well, my appearance options are pretty much limited,” he joked, referring to his short hair.

Katniss stepped in close, gently passing Prim with a grateful squeeze to her arm, and then playfully nudged the handsome Marine. “Yeah, well, as much as I loved the blonde curls, the military buzz cut thing looks just as good on you,” she said, unable to stop herself from reaching up to brush her hand over the short blonde hair atop his head and then dropping her hand back, accidentally catching his muscled arm on her way down but enjoying the accidental touch anyways.

Peeta stared at her evenly, his bright blue eyes studying her for a moment before his smile softly slightly. He let out one more chuckle before he quickly glanced around the room and then quickly returned his attention to her. “You ready to go?”

Katniss nodded eagerly.  “Yes,” she declared firmly and then gave a bright, happy smile to Prim, unable to hide her excitement.

Prim stepped up and gave her a tight hug. “All the details,” she whispered to her and Katniss laughed softly. 

“Of course,” she muttered as they pulled apart.

Peeta quickly took the moment to step closer to her father, politely sticking out his hand to shake.  “Sir,” he said and Katniss held her breath while her father stared at the hand blankly for a moment before he took it in a firm shake. She almost took a breath of relief but then quickly realized that even with the handshake the two weren’t anywhere close to being friendly. Her father glared at Peeta even as they shook hands, and Katniss was mildly impressed that Peeta never looked away or looked the least bit threatened.

Katniss quickly intervened, pulling on Peeta’s arm as soon as he was released from the handshake.  She tugged him gently towards the door, waving goodbye quickly and feeling like she needed to escape before they tempted fate anymore. She stopped, however, as she opened the door and was about to step out.

“I want you home by eleven,” her father called to her and she froze, turning around to stare at him in utter disbelief.

“What?” she forced out, well aware that Peeta stood right behind her, able to feel his body heat with how close he was standing.

She had never felt more like a child than she did in that moment, her father giving her a curfew for the first time since she was seventeen years old, treating her as if she was still a teenager and not the adult she was at twenty one years old.  She tried not to think about what Peeta must think of her.

“I want you home by eleven,” her father repeated, his expression that of an unhappy man.

Katniss’s eyes narrowed at her father, feeling anger and frustration welling up inside her.  “I haven’t had a curfew in years,” she reminded.

Her father shrugged, making eye contact with Peeta over her shoulder.  “Well, now you do,” he told her as if his word was law.

Katniss blinked in disbelief. “You were all happy just a few minutes ago to let me go out with Gale to a party in which I wouldn’t have been home until at least two in the morning, probably later.  But two minutes with Peeta and I have an eleven o’clock curfew?” she questioned indignantly.

Her father had the nerve to shrug again. “I’ve known Gale since he was little, it’s different.  You still live in my house so you will live under my rules.  Eleven o’clock,” he said firmly.

Katniss reared back slightly, bumping into Peeta’s chest and she felt him place a steadying hand on her hip.  The touch invigorated her, somehow lending her strength. She sucked in a deep breath, feeling like she could spit fire she was so mad, and glared harshly at her father.

“Yeah, I do still live in your house, but maybe I don’t need to be if this is how I am going to be treated, like I’m a child instead of the adult I am.  Now, I’m leaving, I’m going on my date, and I will see you when I see you, which I can assure you will not be eleven o’clock.  Goodnight,” she spat and then pivoted quickly. 

Peeta quickly moved out of her way, his eyes wide as he stared at her with his own level of shock but somehow a certain amount of reverence as well.  Katniss slammed the door behind her and quickly started down the walk towards Peeta's old car where it was parked in front of the house.  Peeta stopped her before she was halfway across the small front yard, turning her to face him.

“Are you okay?  I don’t want to cause problems with your family.  If we need to call an early one tonight, that’s fine, we can,” he assured her, looking completely earnest in every way.

Katniss shook her head, still running slightly on the angry energy within her towards her father but not able to redirect that anger in any way towards him.  Somehow the energy cooled and changed, calming inside her as she looked into his bright eyes.

“No, I’m not going to let my father ruin this date because he’s being an idiot.  We’ll fight and clear the air tomorrow.  Tonight, however, it’s just you and me and I’m really looking forward to what you have in store for us.”

Peeta hesitated, glancing back at the house once before he nodded and gave a small smile.  “Okay then,” he muttered and then gestured for her to go forward.

He opened the car door for her and she climbed in quickly, giving him a smile as she did so.  He closed the door and then walked around the car, climbing in and looking at her.  “Well, this sure is an interesting start to our evening.  Let’s see if we can make it better, yeah?” he joked and she nodded.

“Yes, please,” she said, already feeling lighter.

He started the car.  “Well then, let’s go.”


	6. Cammies Are Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited poorly so watch out. Enjoy!

_Roses are Red,_

_Cammies are Green,_

_I’m in love with a US Marine_

 

 

Chapter 5

Cammies Are Green  (Part 2)

 

 

Katniss was determined not to let her father’s actions ruin her mood.  Without missing a beat, the two slipped into an easy conversation, laughing and listening to the radio. Peeta didn’t tell her where he was taking them, and she hadn’t asked, but they seemed to be driving out a bit, escaping their town limits quickly and continuing on.  Katniss, in truth, hadn’t ventured out of their small town many times in her life, maybe for a shopping trip or an outing with Gale, but Peeta seemed comfortable so she trusted his judgment.

He was very good at lifting her spirits, having her in tears from laughing so hard soon into the drive.  She didn’t think she could laugh so hard as she did when watching Peeta sing, in his best Britney Spears voice, “Oops! . . . I Did It Again” at the top of his lungs.  The fact that he knew every word of the song was a marker at which she mocked him severely, to which he countered with saying at all the Marines in his unit did.

“I will tell you this,” he laughed, “you don’t really appreciate that song until you are in the middle of buttfuck Afghanistan, sweating your balls off in all your gear, sitting in a Humvee with four other Marines who are sweating just as much as you and then one of them starts in on a _truly_ beautiful rendition of the song. I don’t care who you are, you start singing along after a while and that song takes on a whole new meaning for you,” he told her with a bright smile and then launched into the chorus, singing as loud as he could while Katniss ducked her head to avoid being seen with him.

“Have you eaten yet?” He asked her soon after what Katniss was affectionately calling the Britney Spears Debacle.

Katniss shook her head and Peeta smiled, muttering something about this being good, before he pulled off the road and parked in a small convenience store and gas station parking lot.  He flashed a smile at her confused look but walked around to open her door for her, leaving no doubt about whether or not she was going into the store with him.  At her confused face he only laced his hand with hers and towed her across the small lot and across the threshold of the store, nodding his head in greeting to the bored looking teen at the counter. 

“What would you like to drink?” he questioned once he lead them into the refrigerated aisle.  Katniss stared at him strangely, wondering where the actual dinner part came in, but grabbed an iced tea.  Peeta fished out his own coke cola and then stepped down the aisle to grab a six-pack of beer as well.  He flashed her a smiled and then hooked his arm with hers, leading her down a different aisle.

“Grab what you want,” he told her while he grabbed a few chocolate bars, a bag of marshmallows, a bag of chips, and some graham crackers, all balanced rather precariously in his arm and against his chest.

“Should we have gotten a basket?” Katniss mocked while she grabbed her favorite kinds of candy and chips.

“Probably,” he laughed. 

Peeta dumped their spoils rather unceremoniously on the countertop then, digging out his wallet while Katniss gently placed her items down as well.  She made sure to keep her items separated from his, not sure if she should pay for her own or if it was still date etiquette for him to buy it if she wasn’t even sure if this was their dinner.  However, Peeta quickly stepped in and wordlessly solved the problem, pushing her items closer to his and allowing the girl to ring up the items with his.

“So, is this dinner?” she couldn’t help but ask after a moment, getting a strange look from the woman ringing in the range of junk food.

Peeta shook his head.  “Nope, this is the snacks before and after dinner. Dinner is the Chinese take out place down the road.  You like Chinese, right?”

She nodded and allowed for the woman to finish up so that Peeta could pay.  With all the items bagged up it was easier to carry.  Just as he said, the Chinese place was just down the road and the two quickly ordered their food, keeping themselves entertained while they waited for their food by throwing skittles at one another and trying to catch it, and often times, missing sending Skittles all over the parking lot. The food was ready in in what seemed like no time and the two were back into the car, Peeta driving them to some unknown location while Katniss snacked in the passenger seat, unable to stop laughing at him for one reason or another. 

She didn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much.  It wasn’t as if he was purposefully trying to make her laugh, but rather just talking to her and having a good time himself.  They were both in a warm, infectious mood, and the laughs seemed to be never ending. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had just relaxed and had a good time with someone like this. Usually, when she was supposed to be relaxing and having a good time she was at a party with Gale and she never really felt relaxed there, feeling too much social pressure around Gale’s friends. With Peeta, with no one else around, she felt absolutely no pressure to try to be something she wasn’t and she found herself relaxing. 

Everything about his presence calmed her, eased her. She would no doubt try to dissect this fact later when she was alone and going over the evening in her head. No doubt she would try to figure it out but now, in this moment of relaxation and carelessness, she was throwing caution to the wind and just enjoying the feeling while it lasted.

She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice they had arrived until the car had stopped.  Looking out the windshield, she didn’t know how she had ever missed it.  She was still while he quickly climbed out of the car, going around to the trunk and opening it. She climbed out of the car slowly, grabbing the bags of junk food and their dinner somewhat awkwardly, but eventually made it to his side, continuously glancing at the beautiful sight in front of her.

Peeta had thought ahead and pulled out some blankets and a cooler.  He took some of the bags from her as well, leading her down the narrow path and into the soft sand. It was a secluded section of beach they were on, a cool breeze coming off the water and the moonlight bathing everything in a dark, almost eerie glow.  Katniss just took a moment to close her eyes, breathing in the crisp air, and listen to the waves sloshing against the sandy shore.  She hadn’t been to the beach in years, since she was young, and she hadn’t realized how much she missed it until she was there. She almost wished that they could have come earlier, when the sun was still shining so that they could have had option of swimming.

Peeta led her over to a small fire pit in the sand where someone had set down logs around it to sit on.  Together, they worked to set up a comfortable area. Katniss laid down one of the blankets for them to sit on right beside a log, not too close to the fire but close enough.  She also stared to organize their food, putting the drinks in the cooler to keep it cold while Peeta started the fire.  He made a trip back to the car once or twice to get some logs and kindling that he had apparently stored in the trunk in preparation of this date.

With the fire blazing and sitting comfortably on the blanket, the two dug into their food.  They picked off one another’s plates, chatting easily about this and that.  Peeta scooted closer so he could lean in to steal a piece of her sweet and sour chicken, his side flush against hers now.  For a fleeting moment she almost leaned away from him, the concept of her own personal space so ingrained in her, but she fought it, realizing that it was Peeta in her space and that somehow changed things.  Instead, she leaned into him, settling herself flush against his side. He shifted, setting his arm around her while she shifted to lean against him with her cheek nearly pressed to his chest.  She put her food aside, content to relax for the moment and finish her food later if she got hungry again. He shuffled his food away too.

“What’s a place you always wanted to visit?” she asked, stretching out her legs.

“Hawaii,” he answered immediately.

She nodded.  “Yeah, that seems like a beautiful vacation spot,” she muttered.

He shook his head, a hand coming up to tangle through her soft curls.  “It’s more than that. I want to go to Pearl Harbor. Since I was little and I first leaned about the attack on Pearl Harbor, all I’ve ever wanted to do is go there, see the USS Arizona.  The men who died on that ship are still entombed in there and all I’ve ever wanted to do is go and pay my respects.”

Katniss looked up at Peeta, looking at his serious face as he stared into the fire.  “There were thirty seven sets brothers aboard that ship and twenty three pair of those brothers were killed that day.  Only one set of brothers on that ship survived, the rest lost at least one. There were two sets of brothers in which one brother was a sailor while the other was a Marine. In both cases, the Marines died.”

He stared into the flickering flames for a moment more, the light from the fire casting an orangey glow over his face and making his blue eyes shine hauntingly in the odd light.  He looked down at her, those haunting eyes staring at back at her and he shrugged.

“Some survivors from the ship have elected to be buried with the ship after they pass, years after that fateful day. They want to be buried with their brothers in arms.  I can’t even imagine what that day must have been like for them, to lose so many of their most closest brothers and friends in seemingly a blink of an eye.  I’ve been on only one tour of duty and it had been uneventful, nothing even close to actual combat.  But I expected it; I was in a foreign country, with people who I knew disliked me.  These men had been home, just sitting in port, and the war came crashing down on their heads,” he shook his head again, “I can’t even imagine.”

They were both silent, letting the seriousness of the moment settle over them thickly.  “How do you know so much about the USS Arizona?” Katniss asked after a moment.

Peeta shrugged once more but the mood shifted as he smiled.  He almost seemed sheepish for a moment.  “I guess I’ve always been fascinated by the military, even before I knew it was an option for me. You know, I actually came up here the day I realized I wanted to be a Marine.  Delly, few friends, and I came up here for a day, skipped school, and spent the day on the beach.  We walked down the boardwalk not far from here for food and I walked right by the recruiting office. A Marine was inside, and one glance in and I just knew.  Apparently, I was a party pooper for the rest of the day because I couldn’t stop thinking about that recruiting office.”

“Are you happy being a Marine? You left your family behind, left your home.  Are you happy you got out?” she couldn’t help but ask, thinking of their little town hidden away from the world.  It was the only place she had ever known and she wasn’t sure how she would feel about leaving it. She didn’t know if she was that brave.

Peeta gave the slightest of nod to indicate his agreement.  “Yeah, I am. I needed more than our small town. I knew I wasn’t going to happy to wake up everyday at the ass-crack of dawn to go bake some bread while Delly, whom I would have most likely had married out of obligation to both our families had I stayed, wrangled in the children.  Its just not a life I would have wanted and I don’t regret getting the chance to make something out of myself while doing something bigger than me.”

Peeta then leaned back and reached for the cooler, pulling out a beer.  “You want one?” he asked, gesturing to her with the bottle.

“Sure,” she said, sitting up and digging through the bags of their spoils and grabbing a bar of chocolate. 

Peeta handed her one of the beers, opening it for her with his teeth.  She thanked him and took a sip.  She took a moment to savor the taste before she looked at him.  “Speaking of Delly,” she started hesitantly after a moment, “how is she doing?  Does she know we’re on a date right now?”

Peeta visibly slumped, shoulders sagging in defeat and he sighed deeply.  “Well, since the big fallout the morning after I got back, she’s been hiding out. She hasn’t really been over at the house, a fact that my mother points out to me everyday.  I saw her this morning but she didn’t want to talk to me. Said she needed time to orient herself but she did want to clear the air before I left.  And no, I didn’t mention our date to her. I didn’t want to rub it in her face.”

Katniss nodded.  “Do you think she’ll be angry when she finds out about us? I really just don’t want her to egg my car or anything,” she said, only partly joking. 

She didn’t know Delly that well, but she did know that she used to be a queen bee in school, and as a result she did sometimes have an enemy or two.  Delly was a kind girl, one the adults at the time never thought she could do anything wrong, but when petty girl problems arose, like the time a girl in their class tried hitting on Peeta one night at a party, she could very easily turn. Katniss remembered a lot of rumors being spread and a lot of gossip happening at the girl’s expense. While Katniss knew she had grown up in the years since high school, but she honestly couldn’t say she knew Delly well enough to know if she had grown up too.

Peeta laughed.  “Nah, I don’t think she’ll egg your car, no worries,” he assured, moving close again.

Wordlessly, Peeta settled himself around her, pulling out the marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate and long sticks he had set aside earlier.  She sat with her back to his chest, his legs parted around her and together they made smores while they talked and sipped their beers.

They took the time to get to know one another a little more.  Between gooey bites of smores and cold sips of beer, Katniss learned that Peeta’s favorite color was orange, like the sunset.  He liked to sleep with the windows open; he liked the cold rather than the heat. His favorite season was winter. He knew all of the recipes from the bakery by heart, and he was the best at frosting cakes and pastries because of his artistic skills, including drawing, painting, sculpting and photography. He wanted a family one day, a kid or two, but he wasn’t in any rush to start a family just yet. He enjoyed his time with his friends, Finnick especially.  To him, Finnick was like another brother to him, one that got him more than his real brothers did.

She told him her favorite color was green, like the forest. She told him her father taught her and Gale archery, and she was very skilled at it since she had been doing it since she was young.  Her mother, however, liked to cultivate other talents as well, urging her to sing and dance. Katniss had a very natural voice, something Peeta agreed to readily as he remembered her singing in grade school. But as much as Katniss liked singing, she liked to dance just as well, enough to minor in it. Every Monday she liked to go to the small dance studio in town and spend a few hours there. She told him that she was going to school for education, to teach high school students she thought rather than younger children, but she also wanted to dance as well on the side if she could. She hadn’t thought much about marriage, hadn’t really thought much about relationships either.  She was very much clueless on how to do the whole relationship thing, Gale being her only experience and it hadn’t exactly been a good experience for her.

They talked about her father too and the stunt he had pulled.  She told him that her father still viewed her as child sometimes, but they generally got along. She told him about her father’s close relationship with Gale and the disappointment he felt about the two breaking up.  She told him about her fears about Gale’s lingering feelings for her and her father’s hope for the relationship to repair itself.

“It’s not a reflection on you,” she assured. “My father has strong opinions about the war and about my relationship status with Gale,” she tried to explain, as if it would somehow excuse his actions earlier that night.

“You don’t need to apologize to me. I get it.  I’m coming out of left field for him and you are his daughter, even if you are all grown up,” he told her, ever the understanding man he was.

“I’m going to talk to him,” she promised quietly, though more so to herself than to him.  Still, he hummed in response and pulled her close, settling her in his embrace. She relaxed into hold, her ear pressed to his chest and listening to the steady comforting beat of his heart while she watched the fire.

Talk dwindled as the progressed, the moon moving across the night sky as the only gauge of just how much time had past. They were mostly reclined now, only Peeta’s upper back supported by the log behind him.  She was stretched out, flush against his side, her legs intertwined with his.  They sat contented in one another’s presence, enjoying the steady warmth of a shared body heat. Katniss silently marveled at just how perfect the moment felt.  A part of her worried that perhaps they were moving quickly, as she wasn’t sure most people cuddled on their first date, but somehow it felt right.  It was as if she had always done this with him or at least like she was always meant to.  Things moved naturally between them, as if it was meant to be.  She really didn’t know how to explain it any other way.

And she apparently wasn’t the only one to feel it. “I just want to freeze this moment and live in it forever,” Peeta muttered quietly.

But the moment did have to end. Hours had gone by and their fire had dwindled down to the embers.  Reluctantly, the two extracted themselves and gathering their things, walking back up to the car slowly.  Katniss looked at the time for the first time after they got into the car, seeing it was well past three in morning, many hours past her “curfew”.  She felt no guilt, however, instead taking Peeta’s free hand in hers and looking out the window.  The entire ride home the radio played softly in the background, no words were exchanged between them, but their hands stayed joined over the center console.

When the car finally pulled up in front of Katniss’s house, neither one of them moved to get out, simply staring out of the window toward the house.  It was mostly dark but Katniss could see that the kitchen light was still on. She desperately hoped her parents had just left it on for her rather than having them wait up for her so that they could confront her as soon as she walked through the door. After a long moment they looked at one another and smiled softly at one another, silently admitting defeat. They wordlessly extracted themselves from the car.

His hand found hers again on the way up to the front door, their hands gently swinging between them as they walked over the lawn. She slowly pulled her keys from her bag as they got to the door, lingering at the door instead of going in right away.  Her heart started to beat faster.

“You work tomorrow?” he asked, his fingers toying with hers, the clinking of her keys bumping one another between them.

“Nope, it’s Monday so I’m going to the dance studio,” she told him and then paused as he nodded.  She chewed on her lip and then spoke quickly before she could second guess herself.  “Do you wanna come? It might be boring to watch, though,” she muttered.

But his face lit up brightly. “I would love to come.” Her heart beat just a little bit faster.

After she told him when and where to be, she chewed on her lip.  “I don’t think I've had a nicer night,” she admitted.

He smiled softly.  “I’m glad.  I had a great time too,” he said, stepping closer to her.  His eyes darted to her mouth and he laughed a little at himself. “I really want to kiss you but I don’t want to overstep my bounds,” he said.

Her heart seemed to be in overdrive now and she could feel her face heating up.  “You wouldn’t be,” she muttered almost inaudibly but it was all he needed.

He stepped closer, cupping her face gently in his hands and slanting his lips to hers.  The kiss was gentle and slow, his lips soft against her but somehow right. Her heart shuttered in her chest, her hands reached up to grip at his shirt.  Her knees felt weak and her mind felt as if it had simply shut down. His lips worked against hers slowly, deepening the kiss after a moment, tilting her chin upwards ever so slightly so he could get better access.  All at once they seemed to relax into one another, leaning their bodies into one another.

One of her hands stayed clenched on the front of his shirt while the other one moved upwards, ghosting over his chest. She felt him shiver against her and one of his hands move to settle at her waist, pulling her marginally closer to him.  She settled her hand at the base of his neck, relaxing into him and parting her lips for him. The kiss deepened and she thought she might have felt some tongue starting to peak out against her parted lips.  However, she didn’t get a chance to do anything about it.

The air changed and light washed over them, the door they had been standing next suddenly opening.  Katniss couldn’t help the squeak of surprise that bubbled up from inside her, stepping away from Peeta so she could see who had interrupted their moment.  Of course, she lamented silently, it was her father staring back at her, his disapproving gaze focused solely on the young couple.

“Jesus Christ, Dad,” she snapped, her heart still pumping from the kiss and the sudden scare.  Her hand settled over her heart, feeling the rapid beat.

“It’s late,” was all her father said and the two stared at him blankly for a moment.

Peeta cleared him throat and nodded, licking his lips that Katniss had been thoroughly kissing just moments before. “You’re right, sir. I better be going,” he said to her father, nodding his head respectfully.

He reached out quickly to squeeze her hand once. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he told her, not once glancing back at her father but only focused on her. He smiled softly at her and her faced flushed.

“Yeah, tomorrow,” she agreed, immediately feeling the loss when he left go of her hand and walked back to his car. She didn’t look back at her father until Peeta had gotten in his car, given one last wave, and then drove away.

She turned back to her father then and frowned at the still present disapproving look.  “Well, aren’t you a ball of sunshine,” she muttered under her breath, gently moving passed him and entering the house.

She started for the stairs when her father stopped her. “Don’t think you just get to walk away after the stunt you pulled tonight,” he told her in a domineering tone.

Katniss sighed heavily and then turned around, rubbing at her temple.  She was dreading this conversation and she suddenly just felt too exhausted to even think about this having it at the moment.  She leaned against the railing and simply waited.

Her father glared at her.  “What were you thinking?  If I tell you something, as your father, you have to respect that. I don’t care if you agree with it or not.  My word is law; you don’t get to just make up your own rules.  You disrespected me tonight,” he started.

Katniss quirked a brow.  “What about how you disrespected me?” she questioned quickly, interrupting him and his tirade. 

Her question obviously confused him and he stepped back, tilting his head.  “Excuse me?”

Katniss took a moment to step away from the stairs and stepped closer to her father, coming to look at him firmly. She wanted to stand her ground to him, not appear weak.  She looked him directly in the eyes, not daring to look away and back down. Sure, she would acknowledge that she probably didn’t handle the situation as best as she could have but her father hadn’t handled it well either.  She wasn’t going to stand back and get a tongue lashing without dishing out her own.

“Look, I get that I didn't handle your sudden “curfew” as well as I should have by showing you disrespect and walking away. But you didn’t show me enough respect to trust me and let me make my own choices.  You treated me like a child and I’m sorry to break it to you but I’m not a child anymore.  I pay my own bills, I work to put myself through school, I help out around the house to pull my own weight, I’ve dated and drank.  I may not be out of your house yet, but I could very easily do it because I am an adult and you didn’t treat me like one tonight.  You didn’t respect me as a woman,” she told him firmly.

Her father shook his head.  “Well, I do respect you as an adult, but you are making a mistake with that boy and I was only trying to protect you.”

Katniss rolled her eyes, shaking her head and disbelief.  “How do you know if I’m making a mistake?  You don’t know Peeta.  All you know is he joined the Marines, which in your mind makes him a bad person.  You didn’t even give him a chance.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes. “No, I’m sorry that I didn’t try to strike up a conversation with military boy, especially with Gale standing right there.  Do you have any idea how he felt seeing you leave with that clown?  He was so hurt and angry.”

She glared at her father, her voice rising ever so slightly.  “Don’t call him a clown, you don’t know him.  And I’m sorry that Gale was upset but he wasn’t supposed to be here tonight. He just showed up and I tried to get rid of him but he was being stubborn and bossing me around like a Neanderthal. I wouldn’t purposefully invite him over just so I could rub it in his face that I had a date with another man. I’m not heartless.”

Her father sighed and rubbed at his face in frustration.  He stepped back, paced a few steps before he seemed to recollect himself and come at her with a different angle.  “Honey,” he started, his voice taking on a persuasive manner, “You’re right, I don’t know this guy, but neither do you.  You’ve spent a few days with him.  You’ve spent years with Gale.  You have history with Gale.”

Katniss took a deep breath, trying to formulate a coherent thought in her frustration.  “So what, I’m just supposed to settle because I have history with someone? I don’t get a chance to get to know Peeta more just because I’ve known Gale longer?” she said and then quickly changed tactics as something else occurred to her.

“And who’s to say that Gale truly does know me? In the entire time of our relationship all we ever did when we went out was do what he likes to do, go out to parties and drink with all of his friends.  I’m not a party girl like that.  Today I went on a date and it was possibly the best night I have ever had, and I didn’t have to pretend that I was having fun.”

Her father rolled his eyes again and waved her words off dismissively.  “It’s just because he’s trying to woo you,” he said, shrugging off everything she had just said.

 He seemed to be gearing up in another tirade but Katniss beat him to it in her excitement.  She spoke all in a rush.  “And what’s so bad about a little wooing?  It’s all new and exciting and I feel _good_. What is so wrong with that?”

“He’s not the right guy for you,” her father said with equal fervor.  “He’s going to end up breaking your heart, either by leaving you or getting himself killed fighting other people’s battles.”

Katniss glared at her father, putting her hands on her hips and standing strong.  “And that’s what it keep coming down to?  He’s a military man so he’s not a good guy, is that it?  I’m never going to convince you otherwise, because he’s still going to be a Marine and your mind is  already made up on the subject. Right?” she fired back.

Her father was momentarily at a loss for words but his mouth was quickly opening once more.  He didn’t get the chance, however, because the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs interrupted the both of them and they turned to see Mrs. Everdeen coming down.  She stared at him like they were insane.

“What is wrong with you two?  It is four in the morning and there are other people in this house trying to sleep and you’re down here yelling at each other. Stop it, right now. This isn’t you two,” she scolded, glaring back and forth at them both.

Katniss stared at the carpet, still too angry with her father to even look at him, but feeling like a small child again when her mother scolded her.  She felt exhausted again, and more than anything she just wanted to go back to earlier that night when she was laying in Peeta’s arms.  Everything had been perfect then but now everything was just a mess.

“Now,” her mother started again and Katniss looked up at her, “You two obviously still need to hash things out but now is not the time.”

Katniss shook her head, turning to glare at her father. “No, we’ve said everything that needed to be said.  I’m done with this conversation.  Now, I’m going up stairs and going to bed.  But I will be looking for an apartment first thing tomorrow morning,” she said, her intense glare focused on her father before she turned away and marched up the stairs.

Her mother stared at her in shock as she passed, questioning her father as soon as she was at the top of the stairs. Katniss didn’t stick around to hear what was said between them, moving through the dark hallway towards her bedroom.

“Katniss?” a barely audibly voice whispered and Katniss jumped, pivoting quickly to see Prim poking her head out into the hallway.

“I’m home, little duck, go back to sleep,” she told her, reaching out and ghosting her hand over her sister’s blonde hair.

“Did you have fun on your date?” she questioned, her eyes alert and shining brightly.  The teenager was wide awake, Katniss knew, and there was a worried edge to her sister’s eyes that let her know that she had probably heard most if not all of the fight. Guilt flooded her stomach all at once.

“Yes,” she assured, smiling softly, “It was perfect.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she opened her door and gestured for her sister to join her.  Prim face lit up and she practically skipped across the hall and latched onto her arm.

“Tell me everything,” she begged her sister and Katniss laughed softly.  Katniss quickly got herself settled for bed, ignoring the slightly raised voices floating up from the stairs, and then climbed into bed with her sister. Prim hung on her every word, gushing and cuddling up with her sister.  After all the turmoil, it was exactly what she needed.


	7. Prince Charming

_Who needs Prince Charming when you’re in love with a US Marine?_

Chapter 6 

Prince Charming

 

 

To Katniss, the days that followed were both wonderful and terribly strained as well, balancing her days out with truly magnificent time with Peeta and tense moments with her family.  She slept in the next day, basking in sisterly time with little Prim but awoke with the determination to do exactly as she threatened to do the night before.  She avoided her parents that morning, leaving the house to go get the local paper and then spending the rest of the morning, combing through that and searching the internet for apartments nearby.

 Like promised, Peeta joined her at the dance studio that Monday and was enraptured by watching her dance. She had worried that he would get bored and had planned to cut out earlier than she usually did, but he seemed captivated by her, telling her she was beautiful multiple times as they walked hand-in-hand out of the studio afterwards.  They spent the rest of the day with one another, stopping by the restaurant to dine in, Rue being their server and gushing with her about how cute they look together when Peeta went to the bathroom.

Katniss told Peeta about her new hunt for a place to live over dinner.  He seemed to hesitate and then apologized to her for causing problems with her family. Katniss couldn’t help the surprise that came over her.

“It’s not about you,” she assured but then amended at his incredulous look.  “Okay, it’s a little about you, but mostly its about something bigger. The way he treated and reacted to you wasn’t right and I’m mad about that, but I’m mostly mad about how he treated me. He treated me like a child, scolded me and showed me an utter disrespect that I can’t get passed. I don’t ever want to be treated the way I was treated last night and if that means I have to move out, then I will.”

Peeta hadn’t looked too convinced, still maintaining that slightly guiltily look, but he didn’t say anymore on the subject. Instead, he silently offered his support.

Katniss was extremely aware that she only had a week with him left.  It was Monday already and she knew that he had to be back on base next Tuesday morning so it meant that he had to be at the airport on Monday.  She had the rest of the week with him and then he would be gone, a thought that unsettled her stomach and fill it with dread.  She couldn’t fathom not seeing him after their few days together and already she felt connected with him in a way she hadn’t thought possible. It unsettled her, but she tried not to think of it and instead determined she would make the best of the days she had left with him.  She decided then and there to do her best to dive in as best she could, take that leap of faith and make the most of what they had while they had it.

With a flash of brilliance, she smiled softly at Peeta and excused herself from the table.  She made her way to the bar for a moment, giving Cashmere her best smile. Cashmere looked at her suspiciously.

“What do you want, Everdeen?” she said slowly.

“I know tomorrow is your day off,” she started sweetly, “but do you think you could take my shift.  It’s closing, unfortunately,” she told her.

“Why do you need me to take it?” she asked, quickly grabbing a large margarita glass and mixing up a drink while they talked. Rue was suddenly at her side, waiting for the drink and eavesdropping on the conversation.

“I only have a few more days with Peeta before he has to go back to the base he’s stationed at and I was hoping to go to the beach with him. If you can’t, it’s no big deal, but I would really appreciate it,” she told Cashmere as the women set the margarita down near Rue.  Rue thanked her softly but didn’t leave right away, lingering to listen to Cashmere’s answer.

Cashmere eyed her for a moment, purposefully leaving her in suspense for a few moments before she nodded.  “Fine, but only because you and your boy look so good together and because you have a limited time together.”

Katniss flashed her a bright smile, reaching out and squeezing her arm.  “Thank you so much,” she told her, choosing to ignore the fact that the blonde bartender had called Peeta “her boy” once again.

Rue chimed in as well at this point. “Hey, if you need me to cover any shifts during the week or switch shifts, just text me.”

Katniss hugged the younger girl with one arm. “Thanks, I might take you up on that,” she told her.  Rue was like another little sister to Katniss, a senior in high school just like Prim and often at the Everdeen house as a result.  Prim and Rue are good friends and they often hung out with Katniss throughout the years.  It was Katniss who actually got Rue this job.

Katniss returned back to the table after thanking to two girls once more and found Peeta texting away on his phone. As soon as he set it down, it buzzed, but he ignored it for the moment when he saw the smirk on her face.

“What?” he asked her, ignoring his phone as it buzzed once more.

Katniss adjusted herself in the seat, leaning forward and smiling at the blonde man in front of her.  “I just talked to Cashmere and she is going to cover my shift tomorrow.  Do you wanna go to the beach?” she said, unable to contain her own excitement.

Her own excitement must have been contagious because he instantly agreed with the idea.  “Yeah, that sounds perfect,” he agreed readily.

His phone once more and this time he did look at it. Katniss arched a brow and Peeta smirked at his phone but didn’t bother answering.  “Who are you talking to?” she asked, and then felt stupid for asking. They were barely a thing; she didn’t really have any right to question him.

Peeta didn’t seem to mind her presumptuous question. “It’s Finnick. We haven’t been apart in the three years since we’ve known one another.  Whenever we had leave I always went with him and we’ve always been stationed together.  He’s having best friend withdrawals,” Peeta laughs, clicking on his phone and shaking his head.

“He just jokingly told me he was going to get a plane ticket and come visit me because he misses me,” Peeta said, turning the phone and showing it to her.  She leaned forward, reading over several jumbled text messages that seemed to come in one after another.  They weren’t too organized, first one talking about a unicorn, another about a “whisky tango motherfucker”, and then the last one proclaiming his “bro love” and needing to get a plane ticket because he “missed your face too much to bare it anymore”.

Katniss chuckled once.  “He seems like a character.”

“He had too much coffee today,” Peeta laughs, shaking his head.  He took a sip of his drink and then started picking at the chips and salsa sitting on the table between them.

Katniss nodded, glancing back at his phone still sitting between them.  It lit up once more and the two glanced as another text message came through. She read over it quickly, seeing that Finnick had actually looked up the prices for tickets and was marveling over how they weren’t too pricey and he could actually do it if he wanted. Peeta only shook his head, laughing under his breath and pushing the phone aside.  Katniss stared at the space on the table where the phone had previously been sitting.

“He should do it,” she muttered and Peeta stared at her blankly.

“What?” he asked, his brow arching up in question.

Katniss shrugged, as if it was no big deal, trying to play it off but probably failing miserably judging by how awkward she felt about even bringing it up.  “He sounds like a character, you’ve talked about him enough that it has definitely peaked my interest.  I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

Peeta stared at her a moment before a small smile broke out on his face.  He seemed to be incredibly amazed by her comment.  “You really want to meet my friend?”

Katniss nodded.  “Sure,” she muttered with a shrug.

His smile brightened and he leaned over the table to kiss her forehead and quickly sneak in a small peck on the corner of her lips. He was gone, back in his seat again, before she could even think about really capturing his lips but she considered this a good thing when she stopped to think about it.  She really couldn’t control herself around him, and while she wasn’t one for PDA, she knew that if given the chance she would have kissed him deeply, everyone else be damned.  They were in her workplace.  The last thing she needed was to be caught making out with the town’s most sought after man, becoming the town’s and her own work place’s gossip fodder. 

Peeta smile seemed to shine almost too brightly for one man, a truly beautiful arrangement of excitement, perfect white teeth and sexy lips.  He picked up his phone and started typing away.  “He’s gonna bring his girlfriend, Annie, of course.  They are almost as inseparable as me and him and they are still in the post-deployment reunion honeymoon phase where they are almost insufferable with much how much they feel the need to be next to one another.  But you’ll like Annie, I have a good feeling you too will get along really well,” Peeta said, not looking at her while he typed away.

Almost as soon as he put his phone down it lit up again and Peeta showed her the text.

“ _Fuck Yeah! Be there Friday!_ ” it read.

They called it an early one that night, leaving the restaurant and taking a nice walk around town hand-in-hand until it was just passed eleven and they agreed to call it so they could get an early start the next day.  Peeta walked her to the door, kissing her deeply goodnight before he bid her goodnight. She slipped into the house, immediately hearing her mother in the kitchen.  She froze before she even closed the door fully, the tone of her voice reaching her before the words.

“Robert, you are pushing her away by being so stubborn and driving a wedge in this family.  She’s threatened to move out of this house and you and I both know our daughter, she’s not one for idle threats,” her mother lectured sternly.

Katniss softly closed the door behind her, wondering if she should just sneak by them and act as if she hadn’t heard this conversation.  However, when her father started talking she stood riveted.

“Yes, you are right, I do know our daughter. Which is why I know she isn’t going to disrupt all of our lives over a boy she just met. This isn’t a serious thing. She’s just enjoying some wooing while she can.  He’ll be gone soon; he’s still on active duty so he’ll have to go back to wherever he’s stationed. Everything will go back to normal. It will all be fine,” her father assured her mother.

Katniss ground her teeth, hearing her father dismiss her and Peeta’s thing-maybe-relationship.  She clenched her hands into fists, trying to resist the urge to go in there and give him a piece of her mind.  However, her mother started talking, in a tone what was more frustrated than she had ever heard her mother speak than she ever recalled.

“But what if this isn’t nothing. What if our daughter actually really likes this boy, what if she somehow found _the one_.  Our daughter isn’t the kind of girl to fall in and out of love and she’s very much up in arms about this man. You have to consider that this could actually be something serious if she is so determined to fight you about this. Just stop to think about it for a moment, think about if this the man she is meant to be with. What if you push her away and she decides to get married to this man?  Will you go to their wedding, or even be invited to it?  Will you be able to walk her down the aisle? What if they have kids? Do you think she’s going to want to have her pigheaded father anywhere near those children, so that he can trash talk about their father and make a mockery of their parent’s relationship? Do you think you can live with that, because, by all means, go ahead, continue to push our daughter away.”

Katniss stood in awe of her mother, amazed at her strong words.  She also didn’t fail to notice how her father he refused to call Peeta anything other than “boy” while her mother had not once referred to him by anything other than “man”. Her father seemed just as amazed as she was, though for a different reason.

“Ellie, are you hearing yourself? You can’t be serious,” he said but then her mother was talking again as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I for one cannot live with that.  I _will_ support our daughter and _whatever_ decision she makes.  I’m actually going to get to know his man that has captured her attention, and possibly her heart, before I pass any judgments on him, especially if those judgments are based on a prejudice view on his occupation and is in no way a reflection of him as an actually person, not that you would know because you haven’t bothered to even consider giving him a chance,” she said, rising her voice so that it was on the verge of actually yelling at Mr. Everdeen.

Katniss chose this moment to enter the kitchen, unable to hear this go on for a moment more.  She found them standing on either side of the counter, both looking equally as frustrated as the other.  They stopped when she entered, her mother turning away from her to stick her hands in the sudsy water in the sink and scrub at a plate.  Her father looked at her guiltily, knowing she had caught them arguing about her.

“Is Prim home?” she asked her parents, choosing not to comment on anything that was said.

“No,” her father muttered.

“Good, she doesn’t need to hear you two going at each other like this,” she said plainly as if she wasn’t shaming her parents, ignoring her father as she looked to her mother. 

Her mother glanced over her shoulder at her, her anger seeming to have lessened slightly now that Katniss was in the room. The younger woman gave her mother a small, grateful look, letting her know that she heard what her mother had said and was thankful for it.  Her mother’s lips quirked ever so slightly, acknowledging the look but unable to smile fully in the moment.  But it was enough and, without another look at her father, Katniss turned and went up to her room.

The next morning was already starting out as a hot one and it was a relief for Katniss to be able to change out of her pajamas and into a swimsuit.  Prim looked on jealously as she packed a bag for the beach while the younger girl packed her school bag, leaving for school reluctantly before Peeta got there and telling her sister that she was going to hate every moment of school that day when all she wanted to do was skip school and join them.  Peeta picked her up around ten and they made their way to the beach.

The beach wasn’t too crowded because it was a weekday, but it did have more people there because it was so hot out today for the last day in May.  It seemed like the college and university crowd had come out today since the semester was over now, but luckily anyone younger than that were still in school and thus away from the beach.  They spread out a blanket over the sand, set down their cooler with food and drinks in there to last them the day, and relaxed and just enjoyed the sun.

There was definitely some self-consciousness on Katniss’s part, however, after she noticed a group of girls not far from them giggling over Peeta.  He had almost immediately taken off his shirt, exposing his gorgeous body to the world. Peeta was fit and muscled in all the right places.  Truly, Katniss wasn’t sure it was right for a person to look that good without clothes on. He had the perfectly defined six-pack, his swim trunks sat low enough to show off the perfect v of his hips and his arms looked strong and faultless.

And if his physique wasn’t sexy enough, Peeta’s body made Katniss suddenly very aware that tattoos were incredibly attractive. Gale had once told her he was thinking about getting a tattoo but Katniss hadn’t really cared. Now, however, looking over Peeta’s tattoos, she knew without a doubt that any tattoo looked better on him than any tattoo would look on Gale.  On Peeta’s right bicep, usually covered by his t-shirts, he had the USMC emblem, the eagle, globe, and anchor, done all in black and gray with intricate details. On his ribs on his left side he had the words “veritas et aequitas”, the Latin words for truth and justice.

It was his back, however, that had the most beautiful tattoo. Starting at his lower back and rising up to his shoulder blades, he had a detailed picture of a ship, all black and gray.  Surrounded by thick clouds of dark smoke, the ship was obviously going down.  The tower of the ship was peaking out from the smoke, tilted at nearly a forty-five degree angle as it crumbled and sank. Standing behind the smoke, almost translucent like it was an apparition, the ship stood tall and proud on the water, a ghost of its former self.  Without having to ask, she knew this ship was the USS Arizona, Peeta’s favorite ship and the battleship that launched his interest in the military that led him to where he was today. It was both haunting and beautiful and Katniss couldn’t help but running her hands over the inked skin a few times over the course of the day.

With just how good Peeta looked, it was no wonder that he had captured the attention of what Katniss could only assume was a group of sorority girls.  They stretched out on their towels, untied the strings of their bikinis to avoid tan lines or danced around, giggling loudly to try and get his attention.  Katniss herself sat on their shared blanket, still dressed in her shorts and a tank top because she didn’t want him, or even herself, to see her bikini clad body and compare it to those girls. 

But Peeta never seemed to even notice them, never once even bothered to look their way.  His focus was entirely on her, talking to her, hugging her, kissing her. Soon, with his focus on her and a little bit of coaxing, she striped herself of her clothes until she was just in her bikini and the two of them dove into the water.  Once she got over herself, she really started to enjoy herself and the time with Peeta.

The day was exactly what they needed, a chance to get away from their small town and just basking in the sun and one another. There was a lot of touching, his hands on her waist, pulling her closer, and embracing her.  They splashed around in the water and twirled around. Her smaller frame found it’s way over his shoulder a few times, him taking advantage of his superior strength, and she was often in his arms, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.  He kissed her deeply often, forgetting the other people around them, making her knees weak and shivers run up and down her spine.  The whole day flew by like a dream, almost like it was too good to be true.

It was nearly dark when they left the beach and made it back to their little town.  It was the most wonderful day and the days that followed was very much the same, even if they couldn’t take the time to get away like they did on the beach. Katniss worked in the morning the next day and Peeta picked her up from work and went to the bakery. His mother was gone for the next two days and his brothers and father where down in the bakery so the two snuck up the stairs to the apartment above.

Peeta showed her to “his bedroom” which was the stiff living room couch, a place he was sleeping now since he had returned but also where he had often slept since he was forced to share a bedroom with _both_ of this brothers growing up. They had a simple night but a nice one nonetheless.  Peeta made them dinner, a nicer meal than Katniss ever would have hoped to cook, and they watched TV and movies.

Thursday went very similarly to Wednesday, except when they ended up in the apartment above the bakery, they didn’t end up watching TV.  Instead, the two surfed the internet together, one thing leading to another before they were pushing the coffee table out of the way and attempting some of the more difficult looking couples yoga poses.  Despite Peeta’s strength and Katniss’s dancing ability, and thus a flexible physique, the two determined that they weren’t very good yoga and instead of balancing in intricate positions, they ended up on the floor more often than not.

It was this way that Peeta’s brother Rye found them, just after Katniss had slipped and crashed to the floor, her elbow catching Peeta in the stomach on the way down.  She was apologizing profusely in between uncontrollable laughter while sitting atop of Peeta where he lay prone on the floor, straddling his hips, when they heard footsteps on the steps coming up the stairs.  Rye poked his head into the living room, taking in the laughter between them and stared at them as if he thought they were nuts.

“What the hell are you two doing up here? It sounds like you two are about to come through the floor.  Are you wrestling?”

Peeta shrugged his shoulders innocently, craning his neck to look at his brother, somewhat upside down since he couldn’t exactly sit up to face him fully with Katniss atop of him.  “Yoga,” he said simply.

“Yoga,” his brother deadpanned and then paused, studying them as if he truly didn’t get them.  He shook his head and turned away.  “You guys are fucking weird.  Peeta, I’m glad you found a girl just as fucked up as you,” he said over his shoulder, going back to the bakery to no doubt report what the two had been doing.

Katniss couldn’t help her laugh, somehow not even embarrassed to be caught in a compromising position, bending forward to kiss him.  His brother’s words made little butterflies of excitement tickle her stomach, somehow liking that his brother had implied that she was Peeta’s girl.  It felt good and she was too happy in the moment to question it. So instead she just kissed the blonde man beneath her.

He gently cupped her face while he kissed her back. They kissed deeply and slowly, their lips meshing together in a practiced dance as if they had been doing it for years.  Slowly, things heat up between them until they were both panting and Peeta’s hand had slipped until her shirt to hold her waist, grounding her to him where their groins met, seemingly without either one of them noticing.  She pulled back slowly; breathing harshly and putting on the brakes before they lost themselves and he moved his hand to comb some wispy stray hair away from her face, staring into her eyes with an understanding look in his eyes. They stared at one another for a long moment, measuring the other.  Wordlessly they decided to call it a night soon after at which time Peeta walked her home and kissed her goodnight.

Friday seemed to arrive much too quickly for either of them to be truly comfortable with just how little time they had left. Katniss worked in the lounge that night and Peeta had to go and pick up Finnick and Annie from the airport. Their plane was getting in later in the afternoon, past the time in which Katniss was available before work. It was decided that Peeta would be the one to go get them and they would all meet up at the restaurant.  There was a nice respectable inn right outside of town that rarely had any traffic in it, considering it was situated right by their little town that seemed to attract virtually little to no strangers, but still the place seemed to stay in business.  Annie and Finnick would be staying there for the weekend and Peeta was going to help them get settled a bit before they would come in, at which point Katniss would be able to finally meet them.

She wasn’t going to lie and say she wasn’t nervous, as she was a poor liar and everyone could already see though her. A part of her truly did look forward to meeting those close to Peeta, to seeing another side of his life. He had told her so much about Finnick and she could see just how close they were by his words alone. But, in a way, it was sort of like meeting his family for the first time.  This was the man whom he spent all of his time with, the one whom loved him and who he loved back, not because of familial obligation but because they had each picked each other to be their brother, both in arms and in their hearts.  This was Peeta’s brother who no doubt wanted to look after him so meeting Finnick almost felt like test, like if she didn’t get Finnick’s stamp of approval they were doomed from the start.

It was a good thing that Katniss was working then because when the dinner rush started she barely had time to think about Peeta and the impending arrival of his friends.  She worked herself frantically, barely glancing at the clock as to not freak herself out.  She did have the forethought to do what she could to save a table for them in her section. Because the lounge was seat yourself, she couldn’t really save them a table. Instead she left one of the booths dirty, guaranteeing that no one would take it.  She would clean it when Peeta got there so that he could quickly take it before some other opportunistic patron decided to.

Katniss was taking the order of a table, well into the night, when she saw Cashmere cleaning off the booth. Katniss glanced at her quickly, making eye contact with her for only a moment before the blonde bartender was pointing towards the bar.  Katniss risked a glance to see Peeta waiting at the end of the bar, with him two people. She didn’t have the time to really look at them, instead nodding a thanks to Cashmere and returning her attention to her table, where an obnoxious teenage girl was debating whether or not to get a salad or the pasta.

Katniss was stuck at this table for what seemed like eternity, that one girl at the table wavering on her decision despite any help Katniss tried to offer her.  Katniss’s anxiety felt as if it had increased tenfold in the few minutes that she stood at the end of the table, aware that Peeta and his friends were just a few feet from her.  When she was finally freed from the clutches of the indecisive table, she glanced back at the bar to see that Cashmere was back behind it and Peeta was no longer standing at the end of the bar, which meant the table was clean and they were already seated. Instead of going straight there, Katniss went to the computer by the kitchen, walking past them and stalling the inevitable for a few moments more.

She sent the order back from the other table and then stood for a moment, trying to calm herself enough that she could go over there without looking like an insane person.  What kind of impression would she make is she went over there and looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown?  It wouldn’t be pretty and it certainly wasn’t how she wanted her first time meeting of the important people in Peeta’s life to go.

She collected herself the best she could, gathered three silverware bundles and some napkins and three straws and went straight to the table before she could change her mind.  The three were deep in conversation when she arrived, standing at the end of the table and quickly setting down the silverware bundles in front of each person.  Peeta smiled up at her brightly, reaching out and squeezing her hand.  The action gave her a little comfort, especially seeing that bright smile on his face that calmed her nerves.

With slightly settled spirits, she was able to gather up enough courage to look over at the other two people at the table. They were looking back at her, the woman smiling back warmly at her with a hint of shyness while the guy was making absolutely no effort to disguise the fact that he was studying her. Instinct told her to she needed to stand strong against his studying gaze so she fought the self-conscious urge to look and shrink away from his inquisitive gaze.  Instead, she took the time to look him over.

Finnick Odair, as she knew what his name was, was a truly handsome man.  He had fiery bronze hair that was kept longer than Peeta’s buzz cut, but still short, no doubt just short enough to be regulation.  With wild sea-green eyes, sun-kissed tanned skin like Peeta, and fine features, he looked like he belonged in some sort of fluff USMC calendar with his shirt off or something.  He had a tall lean frame, probably taller than Peeta but less broad than her handsome blonde.   Finnick was movie-star handsome and next to Peeta’s own unique brand of handsome, she could only imagine what kind of attention these two got when they went out.  Really, it was a wonder how Peeta’s sexual history was so short. Already she could see all the girls in the lounge couldn’t seem to keep their eyes away from this certain table.

When Finnick finally looked away from her, turning to give Peeta a look that she couldn’t quite interpret the meaning but judging by Peeta’s almost prideful and smug look she guessed she had somehow passed the first test by not backing down, she turned her attention to Finnick’s girlfriend. Annie, Peeta had said her name was, was truly a beautiful woman with flowing brown hair that looked like it had been curled into perfect loose curls and sea-green eyes that were remarkably similar to Finnick’s.  She had a very natural beauty about her, very little if any makeup adorning her face. And unlike Finnick who had been obviously sizing her up, Annie just gave her a kind, warm smile that immediately eased her anxieties a little more, giving her a look like she had somehow always known Katniss and as if they were best friends already. With only first looks, Katniss instinctively knew that Peeta had been right; Katniss immediately liked Annie and had a good feeling they were going to get along great.

“Finn, Annie, this is Katniss Everdeen. Katniss, this is my best friend Finnick Odair and my long-lost sister, Annie Cresta,” Peeta introduced, sliding over in the seat so that she could settle closer to him.  Wordlessly, Katniss fell right in with Peeta, leaning against his side and resting her arm across his shoulder while his arm wrapped around her waist.

“Nice to meet you two, I’ve heard a lot about you,” she greeted with a wave, trying to keep her nerves from showing in her voice.

“Same here, sweetheart, heard you’ve been keeping our little Peeta entertained while he was away,” Finnick replied with a little smirk. Katniss tried not to be bothered by the sweetheart comment.

“Hey, nothing about me is little, jackass, so don’t start,” Peeta fired back quickly but his tone was affectionate despite the harsh words. 

Finnick smiled and ripped at one end of the paper wrapping over his straw.  Putting the freed end to his mouth, he blew through the straw and launched the paper wrapping across the table and Peeta square in the chest.  Peeta gave a half-hearted glare before reaching for his own straw to enact revenge, hitting Finnick in the chin, which resulted in a loud victorious whoop from Peeta.  Finnick glared and reached for Annie’s straw before the brunette woman snatched it away from him.

“I can’t take you two anywhere, can I? Behave, you two, we are in public,” she scolded making Katniss smile.  Annie flashed her a smile, leaning over the table to get closer to the waitress. “Don’t mind these two Neanderthals. Too much testosterone and energy and they turn into children,” she laughs.

Finnick slide an arm over Annie’s shoulder and pulled her closer to him, affectionately nuzzling her and then giving her a quick peck on the temple.  He turned and winked at Katniss, a devious smile on his face.

“You should see us drunk, that’s when shit starts happening.  Remember your twenty-first birthday, Peeta?” he laughs and Peeta groaned, slumping against the table.

“Don’t remind me,” he said, his voice muffled against the table.

Katniss quirked a brow, instantly curious seeing Annie roll her eyes while Finnick laughed and Peeta tried to hide in shame. “What happened?”

Peeta groans again while Finnick laughed loudly, tossing his head back and then leaning close like he was telling her a secret even though he didn’t bother lowering his voice one bit when he spoke. “This motherfucker,” he started while pointing to Peeta, “got smashed within hours of starting the night,” he said to which Peeta quickly sat up and switched into defensive mode.

“Well who were the dumbasses pouring drinks down my throat?” he questioned loudly.

“It was your twenty first!  You were legally allowed to get drunk now!  We had to go all out!” Finnick yelled back, probably too loud for a restaurant but it was the lounge area so people tended to get louder here in general.

“Chaos ensued because he wasn’t the only one who got a little bit too drunk, if I recall,” Annie calmly inserted, giving a pointed look at Finnick.

Finnick rolled his eyes.  “Not the point.  The point is that Peeta, too drunk to even think straight, decided he was going to break up an argument Thom had gotten with a drunken frat-boy dicksuck, of course, because Peeta always has to have everyone’s six, and then was surprised when he got caught in the cross fire.  He charged like a bull after that guy, we all got into the scrap and then sequentially kicked out of the bar.”

Annie took over then, pointing a lazy hand between the two boys.  “Peeta then decided it would be a brilliant idea to play hide and seek in the parking lot and my idiot boyfriend thought it was the best idea in the world.  Of course, I and another girl were the only sober ones so we were the ones stuck chasing six drunk Marines around a parking lot and trying to wrangle them into the cars.  Peeta kept slipping out of the car every time I managed to get him inside and I ended up having to use the child locks so he couldn’t get out.  However, he took this as a challenge and he put his foot through the window.”

Katniss eyes widened and she turned to look at Peeta who had buried his face in his hands.  “I paid to get it fixed,” he muttered into his hands.

Finnick laughed and reached across the table to nudge his blonde best friend.  “He also paid to get the car cleaned after he threw up in it on the way home before he passed out.” Peeta only groaned again.

Katniss laughed and rubbed at Peeta’s neck, trying to imagine him completely drunk.  She had seen him consume six beers and be perfectly fine, if not just a little bit looser, so she couldn’t quite picture him making a fool out of himself. Peeta always seemed pretty in control at all times, pretty put together, so the thought of his birthday amused her to no end.

“Sounds like you had an interesting night,” she teased and he rubbed at his temples.

“Can we change the subject?” he asked quickly, obviously embarrassed and the table laughed.

At this point, Katniss took control and got them started by getting their drink orders as well as an order for appetizers while they looked at the menu.  Peeta and Finnick both ordered beers while Annie had ordered a mango ice tea so Katniss mentally prepared to watch their intake.  Because she was still working, Katniss could never linger at the table for too long before she would have to leave and go see another table but she did stop by frequently.  Thankfully, the friends had all collectively decided to pace out the night, taking their time with their food, with their drinks, and generally sticking around until it slowed down enough for Katniss to really be able to join them at the table.

It was decided early on that since the two had just gotten in that day, that they would take it easy tonight. Katniss asked to trade shifts with Rue so that she could work in the morning instead of the night the next day so that they could all got out together.  Tonight, however, when it finally slowed down enough, Katniss took the time to get to know Finnick and Annie.

Listening to Peeta talk with Finnick was interesting to say the least.  The two obviously were close, knew one another’s dirty secrets, and had seen even the least flattering side of one another and yet they still love each other. They bickered near constantly, teasing one another about this and that, and cursed incessantly when they were on a roll in what Katniss imagined was commonplace in the Marine culture. Finnick was loud, good-natured, but had an almost harmless flirty mannerism about him that turned people on to him. A few times she suspected that Finnick was testing her through the night, but Katniss did her best not to back down, firing back at him when she could until she could somehow prove that she could roll with the punches and was strong enough to hang out with Marines.

Annie was sweet and she talked to Katniss with ease, as if they were already best friends.  She also seemed to be there to help her when she needed, there whenever she was slightly out of her depth as Annie was very much more aquatinted with hanging out with Marines than Katniss was.

Annie, although kind and just a sweetheart to her, could dish it out when need be, not one to simply roll over. Annie was what Katniss believed was the model Marine girlfriend-strong, fiercely protective and nurturing, but kind. In a way Katniss felt as if she had already passed some sort of test in Annie’s eyes before they even met and now Annie was determined to take Katniss under her wing.  A few times throughout the night, while Peeta and Finnick went on about this or that, Annie would lean over and explain something to help Katniss understand what was going on. 

The time she spent with them was interesting, giving the small town girl a better idea of Peeta’s life.  She liked them both and she felt like she fit in with them as well, as best she could considering she sometimes didn’t understand what they would talk about.  Finnick already congratulated Peeta towards the end of the night for “finding a girl who can keep up” and proclaimed that he “liked her”, much to Peeta’s obvious pleasure. Annie had already exchanged numbers with her, as well as email and Skype information.  By the end of the night, when it was just them in the lounge and the doors had been locked for the night, Katniss was left feeling at ease and like everything had gone well.  The four of them left together, along with Cashmere and Rue who both had to close as well and had ended up hanging out with them for a bit at the end of the night as well, making friends easily with visiting couple.

Annie hugged her when they said their goodbyes in the parking lot before they got into the car to wait for Peeta. Cashmere and Rue each waved and said their own goodbyes and climbed into their own cars and then left. Katniss could see Peeta was pleased with how the night had gone, pleased to see that his friends liked her and she liked them back.  It pleased Katniss too, to know that she somehow fit in with his world, that she could mesh with his friends if she wanted.  Somehow it seemed to concrete things in her head, like it was truly meant to be somehow.

Peeta kissed her deeply outside her car, ignoring the hoots and whistles coming from the backseat of his own car while his friends waited on him.  Idly Katniss was aware of Annie shushing Finnick but her attention was too focused on Peeta and the sensual glide of his lips on hers.  They pulled away too quickly for either to be satisfied but they knew that they had to go, it was late and Peeta needed to get his friends back to the inn. A few quick pecks and Katniss reluctantly climbed into her car and drove away, watching Peeta’s tail lights in her rearview mirror as he drove in the opposite direction.

As Katniss made it home, ignoring the light that was still on in the kitchen and the quiet voices of her parents as they tried to figure out a way to deal with their crumpling family, she went up the stairs and got ready for bed.  She climbed into bed, where Prim had snuck into her room at some point while she was at work and had fallen asleep, Katniss cuddled up close with her sister and smiled to herself, feeling exciting about spending time with Peeta and his friends and somehow feeling like this is what she was meant to do all along, like this was where she was supposed to be.  It felt like everything was falling into place, even as other parts of her life as she knew it fell apart.


	8. The Easiest Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!!!  
> First, I would like to start by apologizing for the wait. The last time I updated this story was in August of 2014, right before the next semester started at my local community college. When I updated, I had every intention of continuing this story because I really do love this concept and story I am crafting and I am genuinely proud of the little I have accomplished in the few chapters I have written so far. However, like I'm sure everyone can relate to, the real work and all its responsibilities quickly took all of my attention and before I knew it a few months had gone by and I had only gotten halfway through this chapter. Still, I prevailed, chipping away at it slowly but surely, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, word by word.  
> The point at which things went sideways was probably midway through the following semester. I got so caught up in school, in trying to be an adult and spending all this money for classes and books that was supposed to be pointing me in one direction or another despite the fact that I had no idea which direction I really wanted to be pointed in to start with, that my writing started slipping. My anxiety and stress levels were at an all time high, to the point where I stopped writing altogether in a misguided attempt to try and get my life together while also trying not to admit my own weaknesses to anyone, including myself.  
> I am currently on a break from school and doing better. I do feel slightly ashamed, having poured myself into my academics and yet forced to put everything on hold without anything to really show for it while the people around me went on to do the things they wanted. It's something I will have to figure out as I move forward, wherever that may be. I will, however, say that this break has allowed me a chance to get back to doing what I enjoy, my own personal outlet for all the whirling thoughts and ideas. I started writing again, first for a different fandom to get my feet wet once more and test the waters, in the latter half of last year but I have been shamefully staring at this unfinished chapter sitting on my computer for far longer than I am willing to admit.  
> This chapter is way overdue, for that I apologize, but I finished it yesterday and I couldn't wait to be able to post it and share it with you all. It was supposed to include much more, but since I ended up being way more long winded than I had originally planned, I have instead decided to split the contents of the originally outlined chapter into two separate chapters. I apologize if this chapter doesn't live up to expectation (it was supposed to be the slower lead up to the contents of the next chapter) but please stick with me a little longer.

_Loving a military man is not hard. The distance is hard, the worry is hard, the sacrifice is hard. But loving him . . . that’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done._

Chapter 7 

The Easiest Thing

 

Katniss was already at work the next morning when she spied Peeta outside the restaurant window. The lunch rush was very small that day, the annual fair a few towns over drawing the crowds away from town. As a result, the day had been really slow and knowing that after she got out of work she would be able to see Peeta again made the day seem even longer. Katniss only had a few tables in the lounge area and was standing around at the bar with Cashmere when she spotted him.

He and Finnick were both dressed in sweatpants and loose t-shirts. They were talking to Annie, who was dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater. After a few moments Finnick leaned forward and kissed her before she turned away and entered the building. Katniss smiled at her from her perch on one of the barstools, glancing at the window briefly to see both Finnick and Peeta still there. They looked to be stretching.

Annie joined her then, settling herself at the barstool next to her while she greeted the two ladies. She glanced out the window once more while Annie and Cashmere politely exchanged pleasantries, reacquainting themselves from the night before. Finnick and Peeta were still outside, probably affectionately ribbing one another by the looks of things. Peeta gave his bronze haired friend a small shove that resulted in a laugh from the both of them.

“Are they coming in?” Katniss asked, gesturing weakly at the boys.

Annie glanced at them and then shook her head. “They are going for a run. Finnick’s been bouncing off the walls since five this morning, too much bundled up energy that he needed to release with his best buddy. They will be back in a little bit, no doubt smelling like gym shorts.”

“Lovely,” Cashmere remarked, idly cleaning some martini glasses. “Doesn’t everyone just love the smell of nasty, crusty gym shorts,” she drawled out sarcastically.

Katniss only scrunched up her nose at the visual while Annie laughed. “Hmm, nothing better than that,” she joked. “But count yourself lucky, you’ve never had a group of about six equally sweaty and rowdy Marines barreling through your apartment after PT and raiding your fridge. I don’t care how many candle you light, the smell lingers for awhile,” Annie joked.

Cashmere leaned across the bar, resting her hand over Annie’s and gave a comforting squeeze. “I’ll pray for you,” her sarcastic tone almost sincere.

She then looked over at Katniss, tipping her head and giving a little teasing smile. “You sure you’re ready for this life?” Cashmere asked her, moving back to the little sink where more bar glasses awaited to be cleaned. 

“Do you always have to tease me?” Katniss questioned, her gaze still lingering on the front window where Finnick and Peeta were still stretching and limbering up. Katniss couldn’t help but note how nice the shirt looked as it moved and stretched over Peeta’s taut, broad shoulders. Cashmere followed Katniss’s gaze, in time for Peeta to bend forward to stretch out his legs. Cashmere hummed at the view of his ass he unknowingly was presenting them, prompting Katniss to throw a stray straw wrapper at the friendly bartender, who only smirked and gave a shrug.

Annie, however, was regarding Katniss much more seriously. Her striking eyes were zeroed in on her face, studying her in a way that slightly unnerved the young server. It was as if it was last night all over again, Katniss’s chance to make a first impression a good one and prove herself worthy of them somehow. Now, however, it was as if the slightly older woman was attempting to look into her soul and test her somehow. It was as if Annie was attempting to see if she had it in her to handle being a Marine girlfriend, maybe something more someday.

Truth be told, it was something that Katniss herself worried about. Since meeting Peeta, she had been happier than she had ever felt before, more complete in a way when she was with him. He had come into her life in a whirlwind, suddenly stopping in and shaking up her world from the ground up and yet she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Instead she found herself living in the moment, living in the happiness he gave her, and wondering when she was alone where this was going. She wanted to have more with him, she didn’t want his leaving to be the end of whatever it was that they had going. Even if they hadn’t talked about it yet, hadn’t even discussed whether or not they even felt it was the right thing to do between them, whether or not a relationship between them was what they wanted.

Still, she found herself worrying incessantly in recent days, in the darkness in her room when she was alone, if she had what it took to be _with_ him when she couldn’t always be with him. Did she have what it took to carry a relationship when he was stationed on the other side of the country? Could she cope with inevitable deployments? She had seen the movies, heard the stories about the stress of having a loved one potentially be in harm's way at any given time while they served their country.

Katniss was just a small town girl, her little world almost stupidly closed off from the rest of the world. She had never imagined herself as a military girlfriend, never had to worry about whether or not she had enough internal strength to handle this sort of relationship. Despite it all, she had almost subconsciously resigned herself to the fact that she was probably destined to marry Gale, from lack of option alone, and then suddenly found herself looking outside their little world by Peeta’s sudden reappearance. Sure, she had somehow been lucky enough to capture his attention now, but a part of her worried if she had what it took to keep it and be his pillar. Looking at Finnick and Annie, she could see that the give and take relationship between them both, how they drew from one another in ways she had never seen before, and she had really only just met them and yet it was so obvious. Did she have what it took to be that kind of partner for Peeta?

Whatever answer Annie got, she leaned closer to Katniss and began to speak. “In all seriousness, it’s not an easy life, being the partner to a Marine. It’s hard work and it takes a certain spirit, but it’s all worth it for the right guy,” she told the younger female.

Katniss glanced out the front window once more as Peeta and Finnick began their run, jogging away and gradually picking up speed. She didn’t exactly know how to respond to that, the words churning slowly over and over in her head.

“We haven’t even really gotten to that part,” Katniss found herself saying. “We haven’t talked about what’s going to happen when he leaves, if we are even going to try to last beyond these blissful days we’ve had here.”

She paused for a moment, trying to get her thoughts together to try and figure out where exactly she was going with this. Annie was patient, a sort of understanding look on her face that didn’t leave her feeling rushed or foolish in any way. She took her time, needing it in order to try and decipher her jumbled thoughts. Everything was sort of spinning wildly, disconnected thoughts about this or that popping up and then disappearing as quickly as they came. Like the way Peeta’s lit up when he talked about being a Marine and his Marine buddies. Or his fascination with the USS Arizona. Or how he had the perfect big smile and how it always disarmed her every time he flashed it at her, making her heart flutter and this strange feeling bubble up in her.

“Being with him, these few days we’ve had together now,” she started, trailing off after a moment and shaking her head. “I don’t know. Just being with him is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” 

And it was. Being with him just came naturally in a way she didn’t know was possible. Being with Peeta wasn’t like being with Gale or any other guy for that matter. Conversation came so easy, not because of years of practice but because of this natural chemistry she didn’t know she could have with anyone else. Her heart fluttered and she just felt lighter with him. She hadn’t ever experienced anything like she was feeling now with Peeta and it scared and excited her all at the same time, giving her courage and yet leaving her wavering in place. All the complicated emotions, and family or town drama that came along with being with Peeta was strange and difficult, but actually being with him, actually liking him, came so naturally to her she almost didn’t know how she ever coped before him.

Annie smiled softly at her, placing her chin in her hand and leaning casually against the bar, somehow seeming pleased with her answer. Cashmere, whom Katniss forgot was standing there, nosily set down a large margarita glass. Katniss jumped at the sound and looked sharply at her bartender friend. The blonde only shook her head in wonder.

“You are so screwed. You’re already head over heels in love with this boy,” she finally said after a moment.

Katniss stared blankly for a moment before she pursed her lips together into a scowl. “Don’t you have things to prep or drinks to make?”

Cashmere batted her eyes innocently. “Oh, am I bothering you?”

“Go away now,” Katniss practically barked, resulting in Cashmere laughing as she walked away, moving towards the opposite end of the bar.

Katniss hesitantly looked back at Annie, fighting a blush at her friend’s bluntness. Annie was still leaning up casually against the bar, still smiling at her. She seemed amused by the interaction, almost like she was used to seeing things like that all the time. And after seeing Peeta and Finnick together last night, Katniss didn’t doubt that she had seen many teasing banters.

“He’s serious about you,” Annie said after a long moment of comfortable silence. Katniss glanced up quickly, unable to say anything or even process what the other girl had told her. Luckily it seemed Annie wasn’t done talking yet so it spared Katniss from answering right away.

“He’s a relationship kind of guy, so if he’s interested in someone he tries to make it work. But he doesn’t fall into a relationship like he did with you. He takes his time, the Corps always comes first for him and then a relationship is secondary. He’s a Marine first, friend second, and boyfriend third. That’s just how he is. He’ll give everything in himself away, spread it out the best he can but the Corps always get the first pick of him.

“But he lights up with you. He’s just different with you, like he’s fallen so deeply in you that he can’t even see the Corps looming over him. He’s so lost in you that’s he’s not even thinking about how he’s gonna be across the country by next week.”

Katniss hesitated for a moment, raising a brow. “I’m not sure if I’m following. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she questioned.

Annie leaned forward suddenly and lightly gripped her wrist. “It’s a good thing, a very good thing. I’ve known Peeta for a while now and a part of me has always worried he was never going to find someone. With him, it’s like he found himself, or the man he was always meant to be, when he became a Marine and that has never made him happier. It was like he was so happy just being a Marine that he didn’t care if his relationships worked out because he still had the brotherhood if they didn’t. I just always worried that he was never going to find someone that made him happier than being a Marine had made him and that he was just going to be alone for the rest of his life. Just seeing him with you, or even talking about you, that’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. You just swooped in out of nowhere and stole his heart.”

Katniss shook her head, choosing to focus on Annie’s last statement rather than the giddy butterflies that had erupted in her stomach from the ones before that. “No, you have it the other way around. He’s the one that swooped in out of nowhere and shook up my entire world.”

Annie only smiled at her words, like they comforted her somehow. Katniss wasn’t sure what her face looked like at the moment, probably arranged in some dumbstruck, flustered expression, but it seemed to please the slightly older woman. She flashed her a bright smile and laughed sort of sheepishly.

“Peeta will probably kill me if he found out I told you all this, but I like you, and I think you’re good for him. We need a girl like you in our little group. The boys have far out numbered the girls for a long time and you’ll help even out the score a bit,” she said lightly, easing the tension brought on by the serious subject.

Katniss couldn’t help but smile too, taking the easy out Annie had given her and running with it. A lot of things were still up in the air at the moment, too much for Katniss to truly feel comfortable with, but now wasn’t the time to overthink everything. She was still at work, in Annie’s presence, and with a good day planned out ahead of them, no doubt. She could overthink things later, when she was alone in her room at night, probably not sleeping because her heart was still fluttering from Peeta and her mind still whirled. Now, however, wasn’t the time.

The restaurant was terribly dead, hardly anyone in the lounge at all and only a few people in the dinning room. However, it allowed Katniss time to simply hang out with Annie. Now that the more serious conversation was already had, everything Annie had wanted to say spoken, she had moved on to simpler topics. It wasn’t like talking with Peeta, where Katniss always had something to say and she didn’t ever feel the need to censor herself in any way. But talking to Annie was easy in a different way. They laughed, keeping to safe topics now, and joked, getting to know one another. Both were still somewhat shy around one another, hesitant because they each wanted the other to like them so they were trying to put their best foot forward.

Still, despite it all, the girls were having a good time with one another. Cashmere helped too, her blunt, snappy personality easing the tension at times. Katniss was grateful for this, a weight lifted off her shoulders after spending more time with Annie. She felt better seeing that Annie seemed to like her, like she was integrating her way into Peeta’s life by taking this step. She didn’t know how this would all turn out (it wouldn’t matter if Peeta’s friends liked her if he left on Monday and she never saw him again, after all). But it felt important somehow.

They wasted the hours away this way, hanging out at the bar in between taking care of the few customers that came in for a meal. At one point, about a half hour before Katniss’s relief was scheduled to come in, Katniss did notice something peculiar. The lounge was on a raised platform, only a few steps up, but it did allow for a good view of the rest of the restaurant. For the better part of a half hour the young waitress had a strange feeling creeping up the back of her neck, like she was being watched or examined. Katniss had just brushed off, called herself paranoid.

After a particular loud burst of laughter as a result of a particularly raunchy story the escapades of Peeta and his Marine buddies, however, Katniss did happen to look out over the restaurant and she couldn’t help but notice someone was indeed watching her. Madge Undersee was sitting down in the dining room with her busybody perfectly blonde posse of flippant girlfriends sharing drinks, daintily watching their figures by eating salads only with perfectly manicured hands, and obnoxiously giggling over one thing or another. (No doubt nothing like what they had just been laughing over. Knowing them, it was the result of some “juicy” gossip in town.) Madge seemed distracted, unlike her friends who seemed to be enjoying their lunch date. Katniss could practically see her unease from her position at the bar, could see she was warring internally with something, and judging by the fact that Katniss was the focus of her stare, she had a creeping suspicion it had something to do with her.

Katniss held her gaze for only a moment, looking away hurriedly and turning back to the conversation she was having. But the damage seemed to be done, the few seconds of contact-however accidental on her part- seemed to be what Madge needed to gather up her courage. She stood, spoke something to her friends quickly, and then started slowly towards the bar where Katniss stood. Katniss froze, feeling dread fill her stomach. Whatever Madge had in mind, Katniss was sure she wasn’t going to like it.

But Madge didn’t get the chance. Just as she approached the host stand area, the area you needed to go passed in order to head towards the lounge, the front doors opened and she froze. Peeta and Finnick entered, both dripping in sweat but seeming to be in good spirits as they nudged one another and laughed heartily. They walked by Madge and the host, not even seeing them, and walked up the steps to the lounge as if they had done it their entire lives, coming up and standing next to their respective women.

“Hey,” Peeta greeted simply before he leaned in for a chaste kiss. Katniss couldn’t stop herself from savoring the feel of Peeta’s lips against hers.

“You’re sweaty,” she muttered, glancing back towards where Madge still stood, watching them closely.

Peeta chuckled once, leaning in to give her one more kiss before he leaned away from her, removing his sweaty body away from hers. Katniss glanced over to see Annie pushing Finnick away, who was trying to rub his sweaty body all over hers despite her protests. Cashmere was shaking her head, filling up glasses of water and sliding it across the bar to each boy.

Peeta gulped it down readily, giving Cashmere a quick thank you. The five of them chatted easily for a few moments, talking about the run the boys took and somehow veered off topic after Cashmere made a raunchy comment about the boy’s running “form”. Katniss was only half-paying attention, watching Madge. Whatever courage she had gotten disappeared at the sight of Peeta and Finnick and she had retreated back to her table. She hurried her little posse of girls out of the restaurant after that, not even stopping to glance back at Katniss. Still, Katniss was able to finally breathe a sigh of relief when she was gone.

“You’re almost done with work, right?” Peeta asked after a few minutes of conversation.

Katniss glanced at the clock, noting that her relief, Rue since the kind-hearted girl had traded shifts with her, should be getting there soon. She nodded, glancing back at her one table. “Yeah, Rue will be here soon, and I just have to wait for my last table to finish up. Shouldn’t take too long.”

Peeta nodding. “Well, Finnick and I are both disgusting and in desperate need of a shower. How about we head back, you finish up here and then go home to change out of your uniform and do whatever you have to do. You can meet us back at the bakery when you’re ready. We can have dinner there and then we can go out.”

Katniss readily agreed and the group didn’t linger long after that. Peeta kissed her goodbye, being careful not to rub his sweaty body against her clean uniform. Annie went with the boys, wanting to get a little more dolled up for whatever they did tonight. Before the left they did extend an invitation to Cashmere if she didn’t already have plans tonight, and though she didn’t commit to anything she did seem interested. The trio left with the promise of seeing her soon and Katniss was more than eager to get out of there.

Rue showed up soon after, all excited for her and wanting to gush about how great of a guy Peeta was and how cute they looked together. It didn’t take much longer for Katniss’s last table to finish up their meals and allow her to cash out, Rue trailing behind her while she did her side work and helping her restock things for the night so the older girl could get out quicker. Katniss was determined to make it out the door in record time, much to Cashmere’s amusement as she was taking her time working her way out, but very soon Katniss was rushing out to her car. Katniss had to run a few errands before she could return home, stopping at the bank to deposit the tips that had been stacking up in the bottom of her purse, and then stopping at the local store.

She had a few items she needed to pick up, things that had been accumulating during the week but she had been too busy with Peeta to stop and get it. She needed another tube of mascara, and eyeliner since she had been stealing Prim’s for a few weeks now when she bothered with eyeliner at all. She needed a new coin purse, too, since the zipper on hers broke so she’s just been fishing loose change out of her serving apron for weeks now. She was toying with the idea of possibly wearing heels tonight and if she was even going to consider that she was going to need some band-aids to prevent her feet from being shredded.

A few more random items from the perfectly crafted mental list of things she needed, Katniss found herself in line, behind a couple of teenage boys and in front of a mother and her two wiggly children. Of course, Katniss hadn’t thought to grab a little basket when she first entered the store so now she stood holding all her items against her chest, trying not to drop them. And of course, standing in line waiting as an elderly woman and her thousand coupons tried to cash out, her gaze began to wonder, looking at all the items stacked by the cash register for impulse buys. There were the regular items there, candy bars and packs of gum, chapsticks and lip balms, tashy gossip and soap magazines. But there, on the top shelf like they always had been out of the reach of curious children, Katniss found herself fixated on a the row of different kinds of condoms.

Sure, her mother had given her the sex talk and her health class had covered the basics. And she had sex before and done so safely even if she had been really drunk on one occasion; she still had the right frame of mind to demand a condom before anything went any further with Seneca. But she herself had never bought a box of condoms, never felt the need to. With Gale, he had been the one to initiate things and he had been the one to take care of being safe. With Seneca, she had demanded he break out the condom he kept in his wallet. Sex always just sort of happened, it hadn’t been something Katniss had been really thinking about enough to get excited about, or crave enough to actually prepare herself.

But now, she just sort of fixated on the condoms. She didn’t necessarily think that this was where her and Peeta’s relationship was going; they had only been on one date and actually been together for only a handful of days. She didn’t want to be presumptuous in any sort of way. But on the other hand, Peeta did stir things in her in ways other men never had. She was thinking about it all of a sudden, and she found that sort of telling.

So she awkwardly shuffled her items around so she could quickly swipe the nearest package of regular, non-latex just to be safe, condoms and tried not to cower when she remembered she was sandwiched in line between teenage boys and a mother and her kids. And judging by the looks each gave her she knew they had noticed her impulse buy.

Katniss was grateful to get to the register, cash out as painlessly as possible and quickly hightail it out of the store with her items safely in bags and out of sight. She rushed home, looking at the time and knowing Peeta was waiting for her. She made sure to text him, telling him that she had just made it home and she needed to get ready. His response came before she was even out of her car, saying to take her time because Annie was getting all dolled up and the Marines were just hanging out over beers while they waited.

“You look like you’re trying to hide something,” came Prim’s shout from the kitchen as soon as she entered the house.

Katniss clutched the condom bag a little closer to her chest and glared at her sister. “Shut up. And come and help me, I have to get ready for a night out,” she called to her sister, hearing the younger girl immediately jump up from the table and chase after her.

Prim worked her magic on her, sitting her down to curl her hair into loose curls and throwing out ideas about what to wear. She sighed after a moment. “I can’t wait to get older and be able to go out with a handsome guy trying to woo me too.”

Katniss only smiled, staring up at her sister through the mirror. “Your time will come, Little Duck, though I don’t know why you keep pretending Rory isn’t going to be your handsome guy trying to woo you.”

Prim blushed, looking flustered for a long moment before she redirected the conversation by asking about their plans for that night. The plans themselves were sort of vague, leaving plenty room for flexibility. As far as she knew, all they had talked about was eating dinner at the bakery and then piling into a car and driving a few towns over. There was a fairly decent nightlife a few towns over considering they happened to be in the middle of nowhere, a small strip of bars and clubs, restaurants, and other little shops that came alive when darkness fell. It wasn’t anything too grand, but there was a small university not far from there so all the kids flocked there and you could have a decent enough night out if you wanted.

And depending on how drunk they got tonight, the bunch had tentatively planned to go to the fair a few more towns over the next day. Of course if they got a little too wild tonight they might be too hungover to even consider the small fair and would instead stick close to home and hangout together while they nurse their hangovers. Katniss did make sure to extend the invitation to Prim to tag along with Rory or Rue if they ended up going, something that made the teenager beam brightly at her.

With her hair done Prim set out to give her a coat of makeup, giving her a smoky eye and subtle color on her lips. Her outfit was the next thing to be decided, Prim holding up different tops in front of her before scrunching up her nose and trying another. Prim ultimately decided on a pair of Katniss’s darkest, skinniest pair of jeans that hugged her curves in all the right ways and accentuated just how long her legs were which she paired with a rich red strapless shirt that hugged her bodice tightly until the smallest part of her waist and then flared out in a sort of peplum manner. A pair of black pumps, a leather jacket and a black and red studded clutch completely the outfit, Prim once again working her magic on her and making her look stunning.

Prim was both giddy with excitement and green with envy as Katniss texted Peeta that she was just about ready and was about to head over to the bakery now. Annie was just about ready as well and Peeta had already started dinner and it wouldn’t take long now. Prim stood in the doorway and waved her off as Katniss climbed into her car and drove off, kicking off her heels so that she had better control of the gas pedal as she drove. The drive to the bakery was short and she parked around back right alongside Peeta’s old car.

Katniss kicked open her car door, turning so that her legs were outside the car and quickly tried to shuffle back into her heels. She took that moment to quickly grab some band-aids and apply them to her heels, preventative steps preparing for a long night ahead of her. She wasn’t one of those girls who regularly wore heels and could handle a night in them no problem. Preventative steps were a must, even if she looked like a fool all dressed up in her night-out outfit, awkwardly hanging out of her car and putting on Hello Kitty bandages on her heels (the only bandages they had in the store, stupidly enough). Still, Katniss couldn’t help herself from flushing in embarrassment when she finally got back into her heels and unsteadily climbed out of the car and spied Mrs. Mellark staring scornfully at her from the kitchen window. Katniss froze, knowing that this woman didn’t like her, as she thought she was better than the daughter of a lowly farm hand and hated her more since she had taken Delly’s place beside Peeta.

Thankfully Finnick saved her, opening the back door to the bakery and yelling out with an exaggerated wave of the hand. Katniss grabbed her clutch from the passenger seat of the car and entered the bakery kitchen. Both of Peeta’s brothers were there, sipping on beers as the prepped for the next morning’s batch and closed down the kitchen for the night. Peeta’s father was there too, greeting her kindly with a big welcoming hug that surprised the brunette. Mr. Mellark had always been kind to her, kind to everyone almost to a fault in fact and it was always asked why the kindest man in town ended up with the meanest woman in town. Mrs. Mellark had moved away from the window as soon as she entered and closed herself away in the small little office just off the kitchen, determined not to even look at Katniss at all. Finnick, ever loud and full of energy, chugged the last of his beer and said his goodbyes to the Mellark boys (even stopping to invite the two younger Mellark boys out for drinks with them once they finished up their work for the night) before he led Katniss up the narrow staircase to the apartment above, leaving the boys to their work.

Peeta was in the small kitchen when they entered, finishing the last of the dinner and quickly greeted her with a deep kiss. He dragged his eyes down her frame as soon as she entered the small room, and then pressed his lips close to her ear after they pulled away from their kiss. “You look beautiful,” he whispered huskily.

Katniss couldn’t help the immediate blush that spread across her face. She still marveled at how exactly she got to this point, dressed up with looks to kill, standing in the apartment kitchen of the bakery, Peeta’s large warm hand pressed to her waist. It was all still for foreign to her, getting dressed up not because she felt she had to but because she wanted to be beautiful for someone (and herself), and the rush she felt when Peeta whispered in her ear that the effort was worth it. It was so foreign, this excitement and how alive she felt with his hands on her, with him standing so close to her, but it also felt so natural. The chemistry between them, the ease with which she found herself letting him into her normally guarded heart, was extraordinary, and she was both simultaneously filled with excitement and terror as to what this all meant. 

The glaring deadline of his inevitable departure was all too real to her once more and her heart skipped a beat at the thought that this could be the end. She hadn’t ever imagined that she would find herself in this position, unknowingly letting Peeta into her heart, but now that she did it all felt so right. Just weeks before she never would have imaged ever being so close to Peeta and feeling this way, about him or anyone for that matter, but now that she felt this way she couldn’t imagine going back. It just felt wrong to think about, that after this weekend Peeta could jump on a plane, fly across the country, and she would have to just go back to her little happy boring life like none of this ever happened. And somehow, if Peeta did walk away from her without looking back, even then she somehow knew that she wouldn’t be able to simply go back. No relationship, especially the one her father was continuously trying to push her into with Gale, was going to compare to this fling they had going.

She didn’t want to let him go, she didn’t want this weekend to end. She knew it was inevitable, he had his orders that he would gladly follow, having chosen this life knowing what it would mean for him. This is who he was, after all, and it was part of what she really liked about him even if she simultaneously disliked it knowing it would take her away from her after she had gotten so attached. She was scared, everything up in the air between them while she waited anxiously for the pieces to fall as they may and hoping for the best. Hoping that, despite the little time they had together, that he felt as she did and would want to somehow continue this in any way they could. She hoped, the sudden onslaught of realizing of exactly what she wanted taking her breath away, and she desperately wanted to tell him all of a sudden but she couldn’t find the words or the courage. This was her moment, standing at the edge between the safety of the familiar and the want of this huge leap of faith and she wanted to be brave like he was, to be able to feel this fear holding her back, acknowledge it, and then push on despite it, but the words stuck in her throat and her emotional constipation prevented her from doing it despite her willingness she felt.

So she surged forward and kissed him instead, pouring the words she couldn’t say into the kiss. Peeta made a noise of surprise, having been seconds away from pulling away from her so he could pull the pan off the stove, when she all but attacked him and she tried not to blush or back away in response. The intensity of her kiss obviously took him off guard as he stood rigid in her arms for a long terrible moment before he was gripping her back just as tightly and kissing her back with equal fervor. She melted easily in his hands, pouring her heart out as their lips meshed together in a passionate dance. His hands found their way back to her waist, holding on tightly and pulling her closer until they were flush together and Katniss could feel every hard ridge of his body. Katniss’s hand initially started at his face, cradling his stubble-filled chin close to her, until one arm drifted back and reaching around his neck, holding him at the nape. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and her mind screamed at him to just understand what she was feeling at the moment.

She didn’t ever want to let go and that scared her but she was tired of letting her fears hold her back.

Whatever was cooking on the stove began to pop loudly, sizzling and soon to be on the risk to burning. They pulled away from each other slowly, hesitantly, but Peeta seemed really reluctantly to actually let her go despite the sizzling food. He pressed his forehead against hers, his lips hovering above hers and his hands still holding her waist with no signs of letting up. It comforted her that his breath was as uneven as hers and when she slid her hand down from his face down the front of shirt she could feel his heart beating thumping wildly in his chest to match her own.

Katniss had honestly forgotten about Finnick still standing there until he was maneuvering around them in the small kitchen to get to the stove. “Ya’ll are crazy, about the burn the food,” he was muttering, but even then Katniss couldn’t bothered to feel embarrassed, too caught up in this moment with Peeta to care that Finnick had witnessed such an intimate moment between them.

Peeta gently rocked them side-to-side gently, letting out a little almost disgruntled groan, surprising her. “I don’t want to go back,” Peeta muttered suddenly, continuing to rock them slowly and making Katniss heart completely skip a beat.

“I don’t want you to go back either,” she muttered just as quiet as he did, but with no hesitation. She was idly aware of Finnick still cursing and puttering around with the pan on the stove, moving things around nosily so she was somewhat assured that despite being so close this moment was private between them.

Peeta seemed to hesitate for a moment, pausing their rocking and opening his mouth as if to begin speaking. Katniss held her breath, somehow feeling like this could be the moment where this could either make or break everything that has been building up between them. But the moment was ultimately ruined when the distinctive clomp of heels coming down the hall and the outside world seemed to register to Peeta once more. He pulled back, looking immediately towards the stove where Finnick had removed the pan from the heat and was stirring the contents to assess the damage. Peeta cursed and pulled away completely.

Katniss fought the wave of disappointment she felt, taking a deep breath and trying to shake it off. Despite wanting to finally get some answers, to somehow not feel so lost as to where this thing they had was going, she realized that maybe right before they went out for a night out wasn’t the time to have this conversation. They would definitely need to have it, and soon since he was leaving the day after tomorrow, but now wasn’t necessarily the best time. Because if it didn’t exactly go the way she hoped it would she didn’t exactly see herself being able to go out afterwards and pretend like everything was okay when, despite any reservations she had about love and relationships before this, she (surprisingly) wouldn’t be okay with letting him walk away from this.

Instead, she turned her focus to Annie whom had just come from down the hall and entered the small kitchen. She look amazing, Katniss couldn’t help but notice with slight envy. She was wearing a simple black pair of short, not too short but just short enough to show off her toned legs along with the black five-inch pumps. Her shirt was pretty simple, a loose fitted gray tank top with the slightest bit of shiver embedded into the fabric that complimented her small frame and hung loosely enough to show off the stunning strappy bralette she was wearing underneath. The simple dark, fitted jacket hanging over her arm, along with a soft smoky eye, a bold matte dark lip, and loosely curled hair, completed the look and had Katniss staring at her in envy had how simple yet daring the outfit was. It looked perfect on her and it made her look like what Katniss thought a Marine girlfriend should be, beautiful and put together, but strong and able to hold her own.

But when the Marine girlfriend laid eyes on Katniss it was as if she was the one staring in envy. Her eyes bulged out and her lips parted in a delighted surprised ‘wow’ look. “You look amazing, Katniss! God, I wish I had legs like yours,” she exclaimed, looking down at her own slightly shorter legs.

Katniss blushed at the comment but was quick to wave her off. “You look amazing, Annie. That bralette is beautiful.”

It seemed to be the right thing to say as Annie instantly lit up and fingered one of the straps. “Thank you, I got it at a little hole in the wall boutique on the coast last year around the 4th of July.”

“Ay, Peeta didn’t burn the food too bad. Come sit,” Finnick called to them as he and Peeta were dishing out the simple stir-fry into four plates.

The girls wasted no time, moving over towards the small circular table in the center of the kitchen. Looking at the plate, Katniss felt her mouth start watering and her stomach growl in protest to remind her exactly how long she had gone without eating. Even slightly burnt, the food looked simple but delicious and Katniss had learned in the short time she had spent with Peeta that even the simplest of meals was going to be delicious if he made it.

They settled down easily, enjoying good food and good company. It still took a moment for Katniss to shake off the almost moment with Peeta, to push it aside for the moment so that she could simply enjoy the night. But almost as soon as they sat down she found herself relaxing to the surprisingly soothing crass verbal sparring between the two Marines. Peeta and Finnick picked at one another constantly, in a friendly affectionate sort of way that was both astounding and oddly beautiful. The familiarity and the odd camaraderie between them was an amazing thing to behold, this one-of-a-kind brotherhood that had formed from serving together. All Katniss could do for a moment was sit back in awe, but she was comforted by the fact that when she looked over at Annie she could see an understanding look on her face, like she too still marveled at his friendship and life she had somehow gotten herself into.

This could be her future someday, Katniss realized, if things went well of course. This, the four of them sitting around one table or another, sharing laughs and food, and just enjoying the little moments they had together. Maybe more loud mouth Marines would join them, or even Prim’s quieter happy presence. She knew it wouldn’t all be wonderful happy and fun times, it would have it own fair share of torment and frustration, more than your average relationship as it wouldn’t just be the two of them in a relationship but rather three; her, Peeta, and the Marine Corps. But she could imagine the little things like this, the four of them or even just the two of them sitting around and just living in the moment, and she knew instantly and without a doubt that it would all be worth it in the end. 

Peeta looked over at her, giving her that perfect small smile that made her heart skip a beat, and she smiled back instantly. She wanted this, now more than ever as her mind conjured up happy fantasy images of them together as a couple, and found a newfound desire to fight for it.

Because for Peeta, it would all be worth it.


End file.
